COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Mountain West released its 2022-23 Preseason All-Conference Women’s Basketball team and preseason award winners Wednesday morning in conjunction with the start of virtual media days.

As selected by members of the league’s head coaches and select media, the preseason team is made up of four seniors and a junior. Five of the seven preseason honorees earned all-Conference accolades at the end of 2021-22.

UNLV junior Desi-Rae Young was selected as the Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year, while New Mexico senior Amaya Brown was named the MW Preseason Newcomer of the Year and Lobo rookie Hannah Robbins was voted as the MW Preseason Freshman of the Year.

The 2021-22 MW Player of the Year, Young was one of just two players to rank as a top-five scorer and rebounder in the Mountain West. She started 32 of 33 games last season, averaging 15.2 points and a team-best 8.5 rebounds.

Brown, a transfer from Florida State, appeared in 44 games during her four seasons in Tallahassee. Last season, she shot 41.7 percent from the field. The 5-11 guard recorded 79 points and grabbed 55 rebounds during her career as a Seminole. Brown was a two-time New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year.

Entering her freshman season with the Lobos, Robbins joins New Mexico from PHH Prep in Phoenix, Arizona. As a junior in high school, she averaged 16 points, eight rebounds and three steals per game. Robbins earned all-conference and all-city honors in 2018-19 and 2019-20.

Joining Young on the preseason All-MW team are Colorado State’s McKenna Hofschild, New Mexico’s Shaiquel McGruder, San Diego State’s Sophia Ramos and UNLV’s Essence Booker.

A two-time all-Conference selection, Hofschild enters her third season with Colorado State. Last season, she started all 33 games, averaging a team-leading 16.9 points and 6.5 assists per game. Hofschild registered 28 double-digit scoring efforts in 2021-22.

McGruder, a 2021-22 All-Mountain West selection, enters her final season with New Mexico. In 2021-22, she played in all 36 games for the Lobos and led the Conference in field-goal percentage (.608). McGruder averaged 14.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in 2021-22

A two-time All-MW selection, Ramos enters her fifth season with San Diego State. In 2021-22, she averaged 14.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Ramos scored 20 or more points five times last season, including back-to-back games with 27 points.

Booker, the 2022 Mountain West Championship Most Valuable Player, led the Lady Rebels in scoring in 2021-22 with 15.5 points per game. Last season, she was one of four players to rank among the top 15 in the Conference in scoring, assists and steals.