BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Annick Zouma of Alcorn Soccer was named Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Preseason Midfielder of the Year announced Friday, August 7, as the league announced its preseason first- and second teams in a release from the home office in Birmingham, Alabama.
 
Also earning preseason honors were Larissa Joso Luma joining Zouma on the SWAC Preseason First Team, while fellow Braves midfielder Ainara Aldeano was tabbed to the Second Team.
 
Annick Zouma, a sophomore forward from Yaoundé, Cameroon, played and started in 16 games in the midfield last year for first-year head coach Ken Kabiru. She logged 1,372 minutes and a team-high 19 points en route to being named SWAC Midfielder of the Year following the 2025 campaign. The Lycée Bilingue De Nkol-Eton product had five goals and a team-high nine assists with 32 shots (20 on target). Her 62.5 percent shots on goal percentage was best on the squad in that category as well. That also allowed her to be named First Team All-SWAC.
 
As a defender on the Preseason All-SWAC First Team, Larissa Joso Luma made her way onto the All-SWAC First Team following the 2025 season, playing in 16 games with 15 starts. A native of Limbe, Cameroon, native played 1,349 minutes, and was a part of two clean sheets for the Purple and Gold. She scored six goals and recorded 12 points with 20 shots (16 on target). She secured an 80 percent shots on target ratio for the year while tallying two game-winning goals.
 
Ainara Aldeano is on the All-SWAC Preseason Second Team as a midfielder, having played in all 17 games for the Braves last year. In all, she started 16 of those contests. She ended the campaign tied for third on the team with five goals, averaging 0.29 goals per contest, in addition to recording three assists. She completed the year third on the squad with 13 points (0.76 points/game), as well as using a 47.1 percent shots on goal average with eight shots coming on target for the Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain product.
 
Alabama A&M's Czaske Deane was selected Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Kaylen Jankans of Grambling State was Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, while Taylor Osborn (Jackson State) has been named Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.
 
Alcorn begins the season Thursday, Aug. 13, when the Braves host McNeese at Key City Park in Vicksburg, Mississippi, at 10 a.m.
 
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