IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa women’s basketball freshmen Addie Deal and senior Hannah Stuelke were named to the John R. Wooden Award Women’s Top 50 Watch List on Tuesday.

Selected by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list comprises 50 student-athletes who are frontrunners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball: the Wooden Award All-American Team and the Wooden Award Most Outstanding Player.

The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2026 John R. Wooden Award® Women’s Player of the Year. Players not selected for the list remain eligible for inclusion on the Wooden Award® midseason, late-season list, and the National Ballot. The National Ballot will feature 15 top players who have demonstrated to their universities that they meet or exceed the Wooden Award® qualifications.

Stuelke earned Preseason First Team All-Big Ten honors, along with being tabbed to all national watch lists at the power forward position. This season, she is averaging 12 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game and is shooting better than 63 percent from the floor. Stuelke’s field goal percentage ranks eighth in the Big Ten and 36th nationally.

Deal is averaging 6 ppg, 4 apg, and 1.5 rpg as a true freshman for the Hawkeyes. She recorded a career-high against Evansville with 11 points in her second game. Deal was one of the most sought-after recruits in the 2025 recruiting class. The Irvine, California, native was the 18th ranked prospect in the United States out of high school.

The nationally ranked Hawkeyes return to action on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. (CT) when they take on No. 7 Baylor in the WBCA Showcase in Orlando, Florida. The game will air on ESPN2 and the Hawkeye Radio Network.