Clara Strack named to Preseason All-SEC Second Team, Kentucky picked to finish 8th

Last year, Clara Strack really blossomed into a special player. She saw limited playing time as a freshman at Virginia Tech playing behind Elizabeth Kitley, but she played like a four-year vet at Kentucky last season as a sophomore.

The 6-foot-5 center set a program record for blocks in a season (73) as she provided quality minutes on both ends of the floor, serving as a complementary piece to Georgia Amoore.

The reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year is NOT a pick for the Preseason All-SEC First Team. Instead, Clara Strack was voted onto the second team by the media.

Clara Strack was named Preseason All-SEC, voted by the media! ✨ pic.twitter.com/43SGegLYjt
— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) October 13, 2025

A year ago, Strack averaged 15.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.4 blocks per game, starting in all of Kentucky’s 31 games.

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Strack will have plenty of opportunities this season to prove some of those doubters wrong.

Kentucky tabbed to finish 8th in SEC

In other news, Kentucky has been picked to finish eighth in the SEC. After finishing fourth a year ago, the expectation (from the SEC voters) is that they’ll start to come back down to Earth. Kentucky was also picked to finish eighth in the SEC last offseason.

The preseason rankings go as follows:

South Carolina
Texas
LSU
Tennessee
Oklahoma
Ole Miss
Vanderbilt
Kentucky
Alabama
Mississippi State
Florida
Georgia
Missouri
Texas A&M
Auburn
Arkansas

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