SAN FRANCISCO – Central Washington University Women's Basketball senior guard Asher Cai has been named the 2025-26 Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) Women's Basketball West Region Player of the Year, the association announced Thursday morning.
 
"I am so incredibly happy for Asher," CWU Head Women's Basketball Coach Randi Richardson said. "She has worked incredibly hard throughout her career, has invested so much of herself into our program and all of her teammates in the efforts to win first and foremost. She is a special player whose accolades and stats speak for themselves but more importantly she operates with the highest level of character and has been so great to coach and have as a pillar to our program. We are incredibly proud that Asher is a Wildcat and so happy for her to receive this honor. It is earned and deserved."
 
Cai joins former Wildcat and current CWU Women's Soccer Assistant Coach Samantha Bowman to earn the D2CCA West Region Player of the Year honor.
 
Cai can add this distinction to a plethora of accolades throughout her career. This season alone she was named the GNAC Player of the Year, a unanimous First Team All-GNAC honoree, broke both the CWU and the GNAC career scoring record, and broke the GNAC career three-point field goal record, tied the CWU single game free-throw percentage record (14-14 at the line at Cal Poly Humboldt), tied the CWU single game made free-throw record (14 at CPH and against Mary), earned Academic All-GNAC for the third-straight season, and earned GNAC Player of the Week twice.
 
She has ranked among the best in NCAA Division II offensively this season averaging 22.8 points per game for a total of 662 points this season alone. She set a new career high for points against Mary on November 29, 2025 with 37, then matched that total in a thrilling overtime victory against Montana State Billings on February 12. She has hit double-digits in points in every game this season and earned 20 or more points in 19 games and has earned 30 or more points in four games. She is the GNAC leader in made field goals with 208 this season while shooting at a 43.6 percent clip from the floor while adding 67 three-point field goals which ranks in the top three in the GNAC this season, knocking them down at a 35.3 percent rate. She's been one of the best in the country at getting to the free-throw line, having 206 attempts while making 179 for an 86.9 percent free-throw percentage.
 
On top of her offensive output, Cai has added 6.1 rebounds per game, earning three double-doubles this season in the process. She's also been one of the best distributors in NCAA Division II, dishing out a GNAC-best 128 assists for another GNAC-best 4.4 assists per game. She's also added eight blocks, and 41 steals on the season.
 
Cai is the only member of the 2025-26 D2CCA All-West Region Team to be featured last season as well.
 
Joining Cai on the First Team is the only other GNAC honoree, Olivia Hodges, a forward from Western Washington as well as Cal State LA guard Nevaeh Asiasi, Vanguard guard Kaylee Byon, and Cal Poly Pomona forward Sydney Nelson. Earning spots on the second team is a pair of Cal Poly Humboldt guards Jordyn Smith and Shade Satica as well as a pair from Point Loma in guard Izzy Navarro and center Eiley Tippins and rounding out the second team is forward Meadow Aragon from Chico State.
 
Cai and the Wildcats are hosting the NCAA Division II West Region Tournament for the first time in program history. The Wildcats will be seeking revenge against the eighth-seeded Montana State Billings Yellowjackets (20-14) who ousted CWU from the GNAC Tournament last week enroute to the GNAC Tournament Championship. The 'Cats and 'Jackets get underway at 5:00 p.m. in Nicholson Arena tomorrow.
 
View the full D2CCA All-West Region: HERE