October 29, 2026 | Women's Basketball
News
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Illinois junior forward Cearah Parchment secured a spot on the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Award Watch List, the Naismith Awards announced on Thursday, Oct. 29.
Parchment was one of 20 power forwards nationally and one of only three Big Ten student-athletes to be recognized on the preseason watch list.
Named to the McClain Award watch list for the first time in her career, Parchment enters her second season with the Fighting Illini after averaging 13.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.7 steals in 28.7 minutes per game during her first season as an Illini. Also during her rookie campaign, she led the team in steals recording 57 (6th on Illinois' freshman season list) for an average of 1.7 per game, in 25 games she scored in double digits including seven outings with 20 or more points.
A unanimous Big Ten All-Freshman selection, Parchment recorded 12 double doubles the most by a rookie in the Big Ten. That tally ranked as the sixth-most of all NCAA freshmen. Starting all 34 games Parchment made her immediate impact felt as she set freshman season records for points (463), rebounds (285), 3 point % (40.7%), and double-doubles (12). Parchment also finished at No. 10 on Illinois' overall single-season rebounding list with 285 rebounds during the 2025-26 season.
A four-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, Parchment was named Academic All-Big Ten, ranked #7 on the ESPN Impact Freshman List, a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, and earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten.
Parchment is the second Fighting Illini student-athlete to earn a spot on the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Award 20-player preseason watchlist under Shauna Green. She joins Kendall Bostic (2024-25), Genesis Bryant (Ann Meyers-Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year, 2024-25), and two-time selection Makira Cook (Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year, 2024-25 and 2023-24) as Illini under Green to earn spots on the women's Naismith Starting 5 award preseason watch lists. Bostic advanced to be named a top-10 finalist for her respective award.
Parchment is the second Illinois student-athlete to earn a spot on one of the Naismith Starting 5 Awards preseason watch lists this week. Berry Wallace was named to Cheryl Miller Small Forward the of the Year Top-20 Preseason Watch list on Oct. 28.
The Katrina McClain Award is one of five women's Naismith Starting 5 awards. The preseason watch lists for the Nancy Lieberman Award (Point Guard), Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (Shooting Guard), Katrina McClain Award (Power Forward), and Lisa Leslie Award (Center) will be announced from Oct. 26-30. Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting in each of the three rounds starting on Friday, October 30. In February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2027 awards will be narrowed to 10, then to five in March.
2026-27 Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Award Candidates
| 2026-27 Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Award Candidates | |
|---|---|
| Name | School |
| Grace Oliver | Boston College |
| Toby Fournier | Duke |
| Meghan Andersen | Fairfield |
| Lauren Whittaker | Gonzaga |
| Cearah Parchment | Illinois |
| McKenna Woliczko | Iowa |
| Jaliya Davis | Kansas |
| Me'Arah O'Neal | Kentucky |
| Carys Baker | Louisville |
| ZaKiyah Johnson | LSU |
| Nunu Agara | Maryland |
| Madison Francis | Mississippi State |
| Khamil Pierre | NC State |
| Sa'Mya Smith | Oklahoma |
| Sophie Glancey | Santa Clara |
| Chloe Kitts | South Carolina |
| Lara Somfai | TCU |
| Fatmata Janneh | Tennessee |
| Sarah Strong | UConn |
| Skylar Forbes | West Virginia |
