Iowa women's basketball center Ava Heiden has been named to the 2027 Lisa Leslie Award preseason watch list, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced Friday, recognizing the Hawkeyes star among the top 20 centers in the country.
The honor arrives as Iowa gears up for the 2026-27 season, and it puts the program's newest standout in the national spotlight that Caitlin Clark made routine in Iowa City. The award goes each year to the best center in NCAA Division I women's basketball.
Heiden's breakout season earned the recognition
The 6-foot-4 junior from Sherwood, Oregon, is coming off a 2025-26 campaign that ranked among the best by a second-year player in school history. She averaged 18.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 64.1% from the field, according to Yahoo Sports.
Her season totals of 612 points and 246 rebounds rank third and seventh, respectively, on Iowa's all-time single-season lists for a sophomore. She also recorded nine double-doubles.
That production earned her first-team All-Big Ten honors from both the coaches and the media, plus honorable mention All-America recognition from the Associated Press, the USBWA and the WBCA, as the University of Iowa athletics department noted in announcing the watch list selection.
Multiple preseason honors for the Hawkeyes center
The Lisa Leslie nod is not Heiden's only preseason recognition. Earlier this month, she was named to the Coaches and Media Preseason All-Big Ten teams and to the Naismith Trophy Women's College Player of the Year Watch List.
USA Today reported that Heiden is one of six Big Ten players among the 20 centers on the preseason list, a sign of the conference's continued strength in women's basketball after realignment.
Who else is on the watch list?
The full 20-player preseason list includes centers from across the country:
- Kate Koval, Baylor
- Arianna Roberson, Duke
- Ava Heiden, Iowa
- Clara Strack, Kentucky
- Amiya Joyner, Louisville
- Ashley Sofilkanich, Michigan
- Gracie Merkle, Minnesota
- Sharnecce Currie-Jelks, Murray State
- Ciera Toomey, North Carolina
- Elsa Lemmilä, Ohio State
- Audi Crooks, Oklahoma State
- Uche Izoje, Syracuse
- Clara Silva, TCU
- Breya Cunningham, Texas
- Sienna Betts, UCLA
- Jana El Alfy, UConn
- Aaliyah Del Rosario, Vanderbilt
- Tilda Trygger, Washington
- Alex Covill, Washington State
- Khyala Ngodo, West Virginia
Iowa's history with the award
Only one Hawkeye has ever won the Lisa Leslie Award. Megan DiLeo took home the honor in 2019, and Heiden will try to become the second. BVM Sports highlighted the rarity of that feat as Iowa fans begin tracking Heiden's case this winter.
How the winner is decided
Fan voting for the award opened Friday, Oct. 30, at hoophallawards.com. The 20-player watch list will be trimmed to 10 candidates in February, and five finalists will be announced in March before the winner is chosen.
For Hawkeye fans, the fan vote offers a direct way to back one of their own early in the process.
What this means for Iowa's season
Heiden's rise gives Iowa a proven interior anchor as the program builds its next chapter after the departures of recent stars. A 64.1% shooter who scores at the rim and controls the glass, she gives the Hawkeyes a identity built around size and efficiency.
With a national watch list spot, All-Big Ten credentials and a Player of the Year watch list mention already in hand, expectations in Iowa City are high. The Hawkeyes open the 2026-27 season with their center firmly in the national conversation.
FAQ
What is the Lisa Leslie Award?
It is an annual award from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame recognizing the top center in NCAA Division I women's basketball.
When does fan voting open for the 2027 award?
Fan voting began Friday, Oct. 30, at hoophallawards.com. The list narrows to 10 in February and five finalists in March.
Has an Iowa player ever won the Lisa Leslie Award?
Yes. Megan DiLeo won the award in 2019, making her the only Hawkeye to earn the honor.