PORTLAND, Ore. – Central Washington University women's basketball senior guard Asher Cai has been named the 2025–26 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Female Athlete of the Year, the conference office announced Thursday afternoon. The honor adds another remarkable achievement to the career of one of the most accomplished women's basketball players in conference history.
 
Cai finished her career as the GNAC's all-time leading scorer with 2,257 points. She also holds conference career records for field goals made (746) and 3-pointers made (290) over her four seasons. She capped her career with an impressive three-game stretch in the NCAA Tournament, totaling 48 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, one block, and five steals, highlighted by a 31-point performance against Vanguard in the second round.
 
This season alone, Cai earned recognition as a College Sports Communicators Academic All-American, a WBCA First Team All-American, a D2CCA First Team All-American, the D2CCA West Region Player of the Year, GNAC Player of the Year, a unanimous First Team All-GNAC selection, and an Academic All-GNAC honoree. She was also named GNAC Player of the Week twice during the season.
 
Cai averaged 22.2 points per game this season, finishing with 710 total points while also contributing 5.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per contest. Defensively, she added 46 steals and nine blocks. She shot 43.1 percent from the field, 35.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 87.6 percent from the free-throw line.
 
She matched her career high of 37 points twice during the season, first against University of Mary and later against Montana State University Billings. Cai also tied a Central Washington single-game record by making 14 free throws twice, first at Cal Poly Humboldt and again against Mary. In the game at Cal Poly Humboldt, she went a perfect 14-for-14 from the free-throw line.
 
Read the full GNAC release HERE