BIRMINGHAM, Ala. –
Nakia Cheatham was named Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-SWAC on Friday morning, released by the league office from its headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama.
In order to be eligible for awards student-athletes must have participated in a minimum of 50 percent of their team's games played this season.
Alabama A&M's Kalia Walker was named Player of the Year. Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Indiya Bowen was tabbed Newcomer of the Year, Jackson State's Pierre-Noelle Tcheuhchoua was selected as Freshman of the Year and Alabama A&M's Dawn Thornton was voted Coach of the Year.
Nakia Cheatham, a 6-foot graduate student from Clarksdale, Mississippi, is earning her first-ever Defensive Player of the Year award from the league.
Across the 2025-26 campaign, she helped lead the Braves to their best SWAC season record since 2004-05, matching 14 wins in conference play, and locking up the No. 2 seed for the Pepsi Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Coahoma County High alum ended the regular season with eight double-doubles and 23 games pouring in double figures in points. She currently ranks sixth in the SWAC in scoring with an average of 13 points per game (377 pts), third in rebounds with 7.5 per game (217 rebs) and third in blocked shots with 30. She also sits atop the league in steals (68).
In terms of minutes played, Cheatham is third with 900 logged across the campaign. She is also 12th in the league in assists from her forward position on the court, having handed out 56 thus far.
Cheatham is shooting 43.2 percent from the floor, and adds a 65.9 percent touch from the free throw line.
Three times on the season she recorded back-to-back double-double performances, with the last coming away to Prairie View A&M (12 pts / 10 rebs) and home to Mississippi Valley State (17 pts / 12 rebs).
Alcorn awaits its opening opponent for next week's Pepsi Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament, as the Braves locked up the No. 2 seed and will play Wednesday, March 11, at 6:30 p.m. ET. No. 9 seed Mississippi Valley State takes on 12th-seeded Prairie View A&M in the opening round, followed by the winner facing off against No. 7 seed Arkansas-Pine Bluff the following day. Alcorn will play the winner of that second-day matchup.
For a complete list of this year's All-SWAC First and Second Teams, please visit SWAC.org.
Follow Alcorn State Sports on Twitter (@BravesSports) for all the latest news and updates. Follow us on Instagram (@AlcornSports) and YouTube (Braves Sports Network) for even further behind-the-scenes action across all Braves Athletics.
