Clara Strack Named to Preseason All-SEC Second Team, Kentucky Picked to Finish 8th

Last season, the sophomore played and started in all 31 games, averaging 15.4 points per game, 9.7 rebounds per game (second in the SEC), 2.5 assists per game, 2.4 blocks per game (first in the SEC) and 0.8 steals per game.

She set Kentucky’s single-season school records in both blocks (73) and blocks per game (2.4). She also set Kentucky’s single-game school record for blocks in a game with eight at Ole Miss on Feb. 10

The Wildcat, who was named a finalist for the 2025 Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award last season, had 15 double-doubles on the season, which ranked fourth in the league and 26th in the nation in the final statistics.

Strack was the leading rebounder in a trio of Wildcats – coined The Triplets – that were all averaging more than 9.0 rebounds per game at one point last season, just the fifth trio in DI women’s basketball history to set that benchmark.

The Buffalo, New York, native shot 48.8 percent from the field, good for eighth in the league, and 78.6 percent from the line, which was ninth in the league. She also added 17 3s on the season, including going 3-of-5 from the arc in a ranked win at Oklahoma on Feb. 2.

Strack concluded the regular season with a combined 46 points, 23 rebounds, six assists and five blocks in a record triumph over No. 11/11 Tennessee and a late nailbiter at No. 6/6 South Carolina.

She broke two school records in the triumph over UT, one of which included the single-game school record for FG% on her 11-of-11 from the field. She also had the most field goal attempts without a miss by a DI women’s basketball player against an Associated Press Top 15 team since at least 2002-03. She also became the only DI women’s basketball player to have at least 23 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks and two assists against an AP Top 25 team since at least 2002-03.

At No. 6/6 South Carolina, Strack became the first player to have at least 23 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal against USC since UConn’s Gabby Williams on Feb. 13, 2017. She also became the only player to do so in Columbia since at least 2002-03.

The Wildcat scored double digits in 26-of-31 games last season, including 17 15+ point games and nine 20+ point games.

Strack also has dished out multiple assists in 21-of-31 games last season, including a career-high eight assists against NKU on Nov. 7.

She was the only NCAA DI women’s basketball player to do each of the following at least once in a game last season (25 pts, 16 rbs, eight asts, eight blks, five stls, 3 3FGM).

She also became the only SEC player since at least 2002-03 – and the first NCAA DI player since 2009-10 – to have at least 429 pts, 266 rbs, 76 asts, 70 blks and 20 stls in a regular season. She became the only SEC player since at least 2002-03 to have at least 236 pts, 150 rbs, 41 blks, 35 asts and 12 stls in a SEC regular season.

The Wildcats were picked to finish eighth in the league by the media.

The full list of Preseason SEC Awards, voted on by the media, is as follows:

Order of Finish

South Carolina
Texas
LSU
Tennessee
Oklahoma
Ole Miss
Vanderbilt
Kentucky
Alabama
Mississippi State
Florida
Georgia
Missouri
Texas A&M
Auburn
Arkansas

Preseason Players of the Year

Madison Booker, Texas

Preseason All-SEC First-Team

Flau’Jae Johnson, LSU

Reagan Beers, Oklahoma

Joyce Edwards, South Carolina

Madison Booker, Texas

Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt

Preseason All-SEC Second Team

Clara Strack, Kentucky

Mikayla Williams, LSU

Cotie McMahon, Ole Miss

Ta’Niya Latson, South Carolina

Talaysia Cooper, Tennessee

Rori Harmon, Texas