Troy’s Zay Dyer earns All-Sun Belt First Team honors

 The league leader in rebounds and double-doubles, Zay Dyer, was awarded All-Sun Belt First Team, the conference office announced Monday afternoon.

“I’m thrilled that Zay is being honored with this award,” head coach Chanda Rigby said. “She works extremely hard and gives her all in the Troy uniform. Zay has contributed so much to our program, and it’s great to see her be rewarded.”

Dyer led the conference with 14 double-doubles to rank 20th in the nation – the next closest player was Sun Belt Player of the Year Peyton McDaniels with 12. In league play, Dyer also tied to lead the conference with eight. The junior forward erupted to end the season with six straight games with 10-plus points, including a 23-point performance against South Alabama and 22 points on Arkansas State. Her 44.5 percent shooting placed her fourth in the SBC, totaling 23 double-digit scoring performances in 30 starts with six games at 20-plus.

The Atlanta native’s rebound numbers also led the conference with 10.5 per game and 325 total. Her 10.5 rebounds per game placed her fifth in Troy’s single-season history, while her 325 total have her fifth in D-I and 10th overall in total rebounds for a single season. She was also a defensive menace, with the seventh-most blocks per game in the conference at 0.94.

With Dyer’s All-Sun Belt First Team nod, she becomes the second straight player for the Trojans to receive the accolade – Tai’Sheka Porchia earned it in 2023-24. Under Rigby, she became the ninth player to earn first team.

Dyer leads the Trojans into the quarterfinals as the No. 3 seed in the SBC, where they await the winner of game six and App State for a third shot at Arkansas State in the semifinals.