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Duke Trio Garners Preseason All-ACC Recognition
10/14/2025 1:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball
DURHAM, N.C. – The Atlantic Coast Conference released its preseason awards Tuesday afternoon, with sophomore Toby Fournier, senior Ashlon Jackson and freshman Emilee Skinner earning recognition ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Fournier and Jackson were both named to the Preseason All-ACC Team, while Skinner earned a nod to the Preseason All-Freshman Team.
Duke, the reigning Ally ACC Tournament champions, was picked to finish first in the league's predicted order of finish. The Blue Devils earned 40 first-place votes and totaled 1,525 points. All voting was conducted by the conference's 18 head coaches and a cohort of ACC media members.
Fournier received four votes for ACC Preseason Player of the Year, while Jackson tallied one. The pair notched 535 and 333 total points, respectively, to earn their place on the preseason all-conference team. Skinner was the top freshman vote-getter with 415 points.
Jackson started all 37 games for Duke in 2024-25, averaging 12.4 points per game – second on the team – along with 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists. The 2025 All-ACC Second Team and Birmingham 2 Region All-Tournament Team selection turned in a strong junior campaign that featured 25 games in double figures and six 20-point outings, including a 30-point performance against Kansas State. Jackson finished third on the team in assists (78) and hit five or more triples in six games en route to knocking down 87 for the year – a mark that matched the Duke single-season record and ranked 20th nationally.
Appearing in 36 games off the bench, Fournier turned in a breakout rookie season that saw her rewrite the Duke freshman record book. She recorded 22 games in double figures and nine 20-point outings, culminating her season with ACC Rookie of the Year honors and a spot on the Birmingham 2 Region All-Tournament Team. A six-time ACC Rookie of the Week and three-time USBWA National Freshman of the Week honoree, Fournier paced Duke in scoring (13.2) while tallying 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks.
She was the only rookie in the Power 4 – and one of just 10 Power 4 players overall – to average at least 13.0 points on 52-percent shooting, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks. In addition to leading Duke and ACC freshmen in multiple categories during the year, Fournier was one of just two freshmen nationally to lead an AP top-15 team in scoring.
Skinner, the No. 4 player in the 2025 class, is a five-star guard from Providence, Utah with a decorated prep résumé. The two-time Utah Gatorade Player of the Year and just the fourth player in state history to eclipse 2,000-career points, Skinner posted a 102-4 overall record at Ridgeline and led her team to three consecutive Class 4A State Championships. The 6-foot-0 guard averaged 26.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 3.7 steals, 1.5 blocks per game as a senior en route to being named a McDonald's and Jordan Brand All-American.
Tapped No. 7 in the Associated Press preseason poll, Duke opens the season Nov. 3 in Paris, squaring off against Baylor in the Oui-Play Paris event. The game is set for a noon tipoff and will air live on ESPN.
Preseason Player of the Year
Hannah Hidalgo, Jr., G, Notre Dame
Preseason All-ACC Team (First-place votes – 70 voters)
Hannah Hidalgo, Jr., G, Notre Dame 833 (56 first-place votes)
Zoe Brooks, Jr., G, NC State 606 (3)
Kymora Johnson, Jr., G, Virginia 577 (1)
Toby Fournier, So., F, Duke 535 (4)
Ashlon Jackson, Sr., G, Duke 333 (1)
Tajianna Roberts, So., G, Louisville 326 (3)
Khamil Pierre, Sr., F, NC State 285
Reniya Kelly, Sr., G, North Carolina 276
Nunu Agara, Jr., F, Stanford 275
Laura Ziegler, Sr., F, Louisville 78
Sa'Myah Smith (Virginia), Carleigh Wenzel (Virginia Tech) each received one first-place vote.
Preseason All-Freshman Team
Emilee Skinner, G, Duke 415
Hailee Swain, G, Stanford 324
Nyla Brooks, G, North Carolina 310
Lara Somfai, F, Stanford 185
Aliyahna "Puff" Morris, G, California 114
Leah Macy, F, Notre Dame 79
Predicted Order of Finish (70 voters)
To stay up to date with Duke women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and subscribe to the YouTube channel by searching "DukeWBB."
#GoDuke
Fournier and Jackson were both named to the Preseason All-ACC Team, while Skinner earned a nod to the Preseason All-Freshman Team.
Duke, the reigning Ally ACC Tournament champions, was picked to finish first in the league's predicted order of finish. The Blue Devils earned 40 first-place votes and totaled 1,525 points. All voting was conducted by the conference's 18 head coaches and a cohort of ACC media members.
Fournier received four votes for ACC Preseason Player of the Year, while Jackson tallied one. The pair notched 535 and 333 total points, respectively, to earn their place on the preseason all-conference team. Skinner was the top freshman vote-getter with 415 points.
Jackson started all 37 games for Duke in 2024-25, averaging 12.4 points per game – second on the team – along with 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists. The 2025 All-ACC Second Team and Birmingham 2 Region All-Tournament Team selection turned in a strong junior campaign that featured 25 games in double figures and six 20-point outings, including a 30-point performance against Kansas State. Jackson finished third on the team in assists (78) and hit five or more triples in six games en route to knocking down 87 for the year – a mark that matched the Duke single-season record and ranked 20th nationally.
Appearing in 36 games off the bench, Fournier turned in a breakout rookie season that saw her rewrite the Duke freshman record book. She recorded 22 games in double figures and nine 20-point outings, culminating her season with ACC Rookie of the Year honors and a spot on the Birmingham 2 Region All-Tournament Team. A six-time ACC Rookie of the Week and three-time USBWA National Freshman of the Week honoree, Fournier paced Duke in scoring (13.2) while tallying 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks.
She was the only rookie in the Power 4 – and one of just 10 Power 4 players overall – to average at least 13.0 points on 52-percent shooting, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks. In addition to leading Duke and ACC freshmen in multiple categories during the year, Fournier was one of just two freshmen nationally to lead an AP top-15 team in scoring.
Skinner, the No. 4 player in the 2025 class, is a five-star guard from Providence, Utah with a decorated prep résumé. The two-time Utah Gatorade Player of the Year and just the fourth player in state history to eclipse 2,000-career points, Skinner posted a 102-4 overall record at Ridgeline and led her team to three consecutive Class 4A State Championships. The 6-foot-0 guard averaged 26.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 3.7 steals, 1.5 blocks per game as a senior en route to being named a McDonald's and Jordan Brand All-American.
Tapped No. 7 in the Associated Press preseason poll, Duke opens the season Nov. 3 in Paris, squaring off against Baylor in the Oui-Play Paris event. The game is set for a noon tipoff and will air live on ESPN.
Preseason Player of the Year
Hannah Hidalgo, Jr., G, Notre Dame
Preseason All-ACC Team (First-place votes – 70 voters)
Hannah Hidalgo, Jr., G, Notre Dame 833 (56 first-place votes)
Zoe Brooks, Jr., G, NC State 606 (3)
Kymora Johnson, Jr., G, Virginia 577 (1)
Toby Fournier, So., F, Duke 535 (4)
Ashlon Jackson, Sr., G, Duke 333 (1)
Tajianna Roberts, So., G, Louisville 326 (3)
Khamil Pierre, Sr., F, NC State 285
Reniya Kelly, Sr., G, North Carolina 276
Nunu Agara, Jr., F, Stanford 275
Laura Ziegler, Sr., F, Louisville 78
Sa'Myah Smith (Virginia), Carleigh Wenzel (Virginia Tech) each received one first-place vote.
Preseason All-Freshman Team
Emilee Skinner, G, Duke 415
Hailee Swain, G, Stanford 324
Nyla Brooks, G, North Carolina 310
Lara Somfai, F, Stanford 185
Aliyahna "Puff" Morris, G, California 114
Leah Macy, F, Notre Dame 79
Predicted Order of Finish (70 voters)
- Duke (40), 1525
- NC State (25), 1487
- North Carolina (1), 1374
- Louisville (2), 1276
- Notre Dame (2), 1255
- Stanford, 1041
- Virginia, 987
- Miami, 889
- Florida State, 857
- Virginia Tech, 813
- Clemson, 738
- California, 669
- Syracuse, 540
- SMU, 483
- Georgia Tech, 447
- Pitt, 299
- Boston College, 211
- Wake Forest, 157
To stay up to date with Duke women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and subscribe to the YouTube channel by searching "DukeWBB."
#GoDuke
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