As Ohio State gears up for a couple of monumental road matchups with UCLA and USC respectively, two of the team’s biggest stars were named to watch lists for national awards on Wednesday.
Junior forward Cotie McMahon was named a top 10 finalist for the Cheryl Miller Award, given to the nation’s best small forward, while senior guard Taylor Thierry was named to the Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year watch list among 14 others.
McMahon, who was named one of five finalists for the Cheryl Miller Award for the 2023-24 season, has continued to be a reliable force this year for the Buckeyes, averaging a team-high 16.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists.
McMahon’s shooting percentage (43.3) has been a little down from what it was in years past she has become a threat from 3-point range. This season, McMahon has made a career-best 31.6 percent of her 3-point attempts.
On the defensive end, Thierry has been a stalwart for the Buckeyes. Thierry leads the team with 2.4 steals per game and her .5 blocks per game are second only to freshman center Elsa Lemmilä.
Thierry’s defensive prowess isn’t anything new. The Buckeyes’ senior was named to the All-Big Ten defensive team in 2023 and her 207 career steals rank 11th in program history.
