Ava Heiden Named to Lisa Leslie Award Watch List
The Iowa center is one of 20 players on the 2027 preseason watch list for the women's college player award.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Basketball
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame has named Iowa women's basketball center Ava Heiden to the 2027 Lisa Leslie Award preseason watch list. Heiden is one of 20 players recognized on the list.
Why it matters
Inclusion on the watch list places Heiden among the candidates for a national women's college player award following a season of strong individual production. The list will narrow in the coming months as voting progresses.
Heiden averaged 18.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in 2025-26 while shooting 64.1% from the field, totaling 612 points and 246 rebounds with nine double-doubles. The watch list will be narrowed to 10 candidates in February, and the final selection process remains ahead.
The players
Ava Heiden
Ava Heiden is a third-year center for Iowa women's basketball from Sherwood, Oregon, who has earned multiple preseason and national recognitions.
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is the institution in Springfield, Massachusetts, that administers the Lisa Leslie Award and publishes the annual watch lists.
The details
Heiden, a third-year center, earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from coaches and media in 2025-26 and honorable mention All-America recognition from the AP, USBWA and WBCA. She was also named to the Coaches and Media Preseason All-Big Ten teams and the Naismith Trophy Women's College Player of the Year Watch List. Fan voting for the Lisa Leslie Award begins October 30, 2026.
Timeline
October 30, 2026: Fan voting for the Lisa Leslie Award begins.
February 2027: The watch list narrows to 10 candidates.
March 2027: Five finalists will be announced.
Season Trajectory
Heiden's selection places her among the national candidates for the Lisa Leslie Award, which recognizes the top women's college player each season. The award's annual watch list process narrows the field across the season, and her inclusion keeps Iowa represented among the leading individual contenders.
Fans who follow women's college basketball can vote in the Lisa Leslie Award fan balloting starting October 30, 2026. Heiden's preseason recognition also makes her a player to track in fantasy and bracket discussions as the season approaches.
The takeaway
Heiden's combination of scoring efficiency and rebounding puts her in position to compete for national recognition as the watch list narrows. Readers can follow the February and March cuts to see which candidates advance.
What happens next
Fan voting for the Lisa Leslie Award begins October 30, 2026, the watch list narrows to 10 candidates in February 2027, and five finalists will be announced in March 2027.
Further reading
For more on the team's season, see Basketball coverage across Iowa.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Hawkeyes Wire.
