BATON ROUGE, LA — After helping anchor a Southern defense that fueled another championship run, junior guard Jocelyn Tate has been named the Southwestern Athletic Conference Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

The honor, voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors, comes after a standout sophomore season in which Tate emerged as one of the SWAC's most disruptive defenders while helping the Jaguars capture a second consecutive conference tournament championship and NCAA Tournament First Four victory.

Tate appeared in 34 games last season and recorded 66 steals in 707 minutes, averaging 3.4 steals per 36 minutes. She also grabbed 194 rebounds, averaging 5.7 per game despite playing 20.8 minutes per contest.

Her impact extended to the offensive glass, where Tate collected 69 rebounds and consistently created additional possessions for the Jaguars. She also finished the season with 265 points and 66 assists while shooting 37.7% from the field.

Tate's ability to defend, rebound, and impact the game in multiple areas has been key to Southern's championship success. In her first two seasons with the program, the Jaguars have won back-to-back SWAC Tournament championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in consecutive years.

Southern followed both conference titles with victories in the NCAA Tournament First Four, giving the Jaguars NCAA Tournament wins in back-to-back seasons.

Now entering her junior campaign, Tate is poised to take on an even larger role as Southern pursues a third consecutive SWAC Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance.

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