After leading the conference in scoring and rebounding, Abby Wolter made it an easy decision. But it finally became official Monday, when the CCAC announced the St. Ambrose senior as the league's 2025-26 Women's Basketball Player of the Year.

Wolter, one of five players named first-team all-conference, was also tabbed as the CCAC Defensive Player of the Year. Senior teammate Caitlyn Thole was selected to the all-CCAC second team.

It was a standout season for both Bees, especially Wolter, who averaged 19.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per contest. She shot better than 49 percent from the field and also averaged 3.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.1 blocks per game while dominating on both ends of the floor.

She is the program's 11th conference player of the year, but the first since Katie Jensen won the honor from the Midwest Collegiate Conference in 2014-15. Wolter is also the first Bee to earn first team all-CCAC recognition since Kylie Wroblewski following the 2021-22 campaign.

The 5-11 forward from Keokuk, Iowa, scored in double figures in all 28 games, and scored at least 20 points 16 times. She netted a career-best 32 points against Olivet Nazarene on Feb. 14. She posted 16 double-doubles.

A career 48.3-percent field-goal shooter, Wolter ended her four-year Bee run with 1,749 points, good for seventh on the school's all-time scoring list. She also pulled down 850 career rebounds to place ninth all-time at St. Ambrose.

The 2022-23 CCAC Freshman of the Year, Wolter was named to the all-CCAC second team last year after receiving all-conference honorable mention following both her freshman and sophomore seasons.

She is the first Bee to be named the CCAC Defensive Player of the Year since the conference started issuing the award in 2021-22.

Thole gave St. Ambrose two all-conference performers for the first time since 2021-22 (Wroblewski first team, Jaynee Prestegaard second team) by earning second-team accolades. This comes after earning all-CCAC honorable mention in back-to-back years.

Thole averaged 12.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game and improved those numbers to 12.9 points and 8.1 rebounds in conference games. She also averaged 2.6 assists and 2.1 steals.

The 5-9 guard from Princeville, Ill., scored in double figures 22 times and registered five double-doubles. She grabbed at least six rebounds on 24 occasions this season.

Thole scored her 1000th career point in a big win at Mount Mary on Dec. 6 and will graduate with 1,246 points in a Bee uniform, 21st on the career scoring list. She is also right behind Wolter in 10th place on the school's rebounding chart with 788 career boards.