NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Southern Connecticut women's basketball standout Hope Fox was nominated for the Northeast 10 Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, as announced by the NE10 on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. Eligibility requirements for nomination are that a student-athlete must be in their final year of athletic eligibility, graduating with a degree in May (unless in a master's program), must be enrolled in a full-time course load and must have a minimum final cumulative grade point average of 3.30 or better. A committee made up of faculty members and athletic administrators conducts voting for the awards. Winners are set to be announced at the NE10 Banquet in Colchester, Vt. in June. 

Both the male and female scholar-athlete awards have 10 nominees, as each member institution has selected one male and one female student-athlete as their representatives. The 2025-26 academic year marks the 27th time that the NE10 will recognize Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year, as the awards date back to 1999-2000.

Hope Fox had an outstanding season for the Owls, as she was ranked second in the NE10 in free-throw percentage with 85% and ranked third in the NE10 in steals with an average of 2.5 steals per game. Fox had the most steals in an NE10 game this season and the second-most steals in a single game in program history, with nine steals recorded in the 61-42 victory over Franklin Pierce. She played and started in all 31 games, with 307 points, 170 rebounds, 98 assists, 76 steals, 73 made free-throws and 11 blocks.

Fox was named the 2026 United States Marine Corps Most Outstanding Player after her impressive NE10 Championship Game victory performance against Bentley. In addition, she was named to the NE10 Conference Championship Team and earned the Elite24 Award, for the second time in her career, which is an award given to the student-athlete who has the highest GPA at the NE10 Championship. Fox also was named to the All-NE10 Conference Third Team and became the first player in program history to be named to the NE10 Conference All-Defensive Team. Fox was also named to the NE10 Academic All-Conference Team, for the first time in her career. Hope Fox holds a 3.89 GPA, and will graduate with a degree in Exercise and Sport Science.