Donahue Named MAC Defensive Player of Year; Joins Kohler on All-Conference Team

CLEVELAND, Ohio (BGSU Strategic Communications) – Bowling Green State University sophomore guard Johnea Donahue has been named the Mid-American Conference's Defensive Player of the Year. The league office announced the All-MAC Women's Basketball Team and specialty award winners on Tuesday morning (March 10).

Junior Paige Kohler was chosen to the All-MAC Third Team, while Donahue earned all-league honorable mention. Additionally, Donahue was named to the MAC's All-Defensive Team for the second time in as many years. The All-MAC Team and specialty award winners are selected by the league's 13 head coaches.

Donahue becomes the third player in program history to be named the league's Defensive Player of the Year, joining Lindsay Austin (2003-04) and Nyla Hampton (2022-23).

Kohler has earned all-conference recognition for the second-straight season, having garnered All-MAC Honorable Mention a year ago.

Donahue, a native of Fort Wayne, Ind. (Snider), has played in 27 games this season, starting 26. She is second on the team in scoring, with 11.3 ppg, and also is second on the club with 5.6 rebounds per contest. Donahue leads the Falcons in both assists (4.0 apg) and steals (4.2 spg), with school-record totals/averages in the latter category.

Donahue currently has a BGSU-record 113 steals this season to date, and has had at least four steals in 16 games in 2025-26.

She is averaging 4.19 steals per game, good for third in the nation, and is on pace to shatter the BGSU record (3.07 spg, by Talita Scott in 1993-94).

Donahue leads the MAC in total steals (with 30 more than anyone else in the league), and also paces the conference in steals per game while ranking among the leaders in rebounds (15th), assists (seventh), free-throw pct. (13th), assist/turnover ratio (ninth) and minutes played (15th) as well.

And, Donahue has moved onto the Falcons' top-20 list for career steals. She currently has 182 steals at BG, tying her for 14th in school history. And, she is on pace to obliterate the school's career record for steals per game as well as the single-season mark.

Donahue's total of 113 steals this season is the third-highest single-season total in MAC history.

In MAC games only, Donahue averaged 4.35 steals per game, leading the league by a wide margin (the second-highest average was 2.94 spg).

Kohler, a native of Olmsted Falls, Ohio (Olmsted Falls), leads the Falcons in scoring, with 14.9 ppg, and is second in assists (3.0 apg). Kohler, the lone Falcon to start all 30 games, is listed among the top players in the MAC in scoring (seventh), assists (13th), three-pointers made per game (third), three-point percentage (18th) and minutes played (fifth).

She has scored in double digits in 27 of this season's 30 games, including in 25 of the last 26 contests.

In MAC games only, Kohler averaged 15.2 ppg, good for seventh in the conference, and she was third in the league in triples made per game (2.50) and 12th in long-range accuracy (.363).

In her first three seasons at BGSU, Kohler has compiled impressive totals of 1,206 points, 394 rebounds, 312 assists and 183 three-point field goals made. She has moved into 26th place on the BGSU career scoring list, and also is currently ranked on the school's career charts for points per game (ninth, 13.11), assists per game (eighth, 3.39), three-pointers made (ninth) and three-pointers made per game (fourth, 1.99).

Kohler has been in the starting lineup for all 92 of BGSU's games since she arrived on campus. In December, she recorded the first triple-double in program history.

The Falcons are 17-13 overall, and BGSU finished with a record of 9-9 in MAC play, good for a tie for sixth place in the conference standings. The Falcons, the seventh seed for the MAC Tournament, will face second-seeded Ball State in Wednesday's (March 11) quarterfinal round at Rocket Arena in downtown Cleveland. That game, the third of the day, is scheduled to begin at approximately 4:00 p.m.

For more information on all things BGSU women's basketball, follow the Falcons on Facebook (@BGWBB), Twitter/X (@BGSU_Athletics and @BGSUWBB) and Instagram (@bgsuwbb), as well as right here at BGSUFalcons.com.

2025-26 MAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL POSTSEASON AWARDS
Coach of the Year: Glenn Box, Miami
Player of the Year: Madi Morson, Central Michigan, Guard
Defensive Player of the Year: Johnea Donahue, Bowling Green, Guard
Freshman of the Year: Peyton Hill, Eastern Michigan, Guard
Sixth Player of the Year: Emory Klatt, Kent State, Post

All-MAC First Team
Tessa Towers, Ball State, Post
Bree Salenbien, Ball State, Guard
Madison Morson, Central Michigan, Guard
Yahmani McKayle, UMass, Guard
Amber Tretter, Miami, Forward

All-MAC Second Team
Ayanna-Sarai Darrington, Central Michigan, Forward
Sisi Eleko, Eastern Michigan, Forward
Mya Babbitt, Kent State, Guard
Megan Olbrys, UMass, Forward
Bailey Tabeling, Ohio, Guard

All-MAC Third Team
Paige Kohler, Bowling Green, Guard
Ilse De Vries, Miami, Forward
Tamar Singer, Miami, Guard
Kendall Carruthers, Toledo, Guard
Patricia Anumgba, Toledo, Guard

All-MAC Honorable Mention
Grace Kingery, Ball State, Guard
Johnea Donahue, Bowling Green, Guard
Peyton Hill, Eastern Michigan, Guard
Allie Palmieri, UMass, Guard
Faith Fedd-Robinson, Toledo, Guard

MAC All-Freshman Team
Shaena Brew, Akron, Guard
Aniss Tagayi, Ball State, Guard
Aniya Rowe, Buffalo, Guard
Peyton Hill, Eastern Michigan, Guard
Emilie Sorensen, Northern Illinois, Guard

MAC All-Defensive Team
Aniss Tagayi, Ball State, Guard
Johnea Donahue, Bowling Green, Guard
Ayanna Franks, UMass, Guard
Ilse De Vries, Miami, Forward
Tamar Singer, Miami, Guard

FOR MORE INFORMATION...
For more information on BGSU women's hoops, be sure to follow the Falcons on Facebook (@BGWBB), Twitter/X (@BGSU_Athletics and @BGSUWBB) and Instagram (@bgsuwbb), as well as on the web at BGSUFalcons.com.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results