Konig, Waddington named Preseason All-Big Sky

Montana senior Mack Konig and Lady Griz sophomore Avery Waddington were named to the six-player Preseason All-Big Sky Conference team, the league office announced on Thursday morning.

It marks the first time Montana has had two players on the Preseason All-Big Sky team since 2015-16, when McCalle Feller and Kayleigh Valley were recognized.

Sacramento State redshirt senior point guard Benthe Versteeg, the only first-team all-league player from last season who is back in 2025-26, was voted the Preseason MVP.

Also making the Preseason All-Big Sky team were Idaho junior Hope Hassmann and sophomores Taylee Chirrick of Montana State and Kourtney Grossman of Eastern Washington.

Grossman was last year's Big Sky Freshman of the Year, Chirrick the league's Defensive Player of the Year. Konig was second-team All-Big Sky in 2024-25, Hassmann and Grossman were honorable mention.

After overcoming an in-season injury, Konig had a memorable finish to her junior season.

Over Montana's final six games, three of them coming at the Big Sky tournament in Boise, Konig averaged 18.5 points and 7.5 assists while shooting 56.5 percent.

She went 10 for 16 from the 3-point line, 23 of 26 from the free throw line while almost leading Montana to the Big Sky championship after the Lady Griz tied for fifth in the regular season.

"She had such a dominant performance in the tournament that it would be hard to watch that and not think she was going to be one of the top players in the Big Sky going forward," said coach Nate Harris.

"She had a tremendous run at the end of the year that we hope she can pull off for 30 games this season."

Konig reached 1,000 career points in March in Boise and could finish in the top five in program history in assists if she approaches last year's total of 165, the most for a Lady Griz point guard since 2006-07.

With a seasoned point guard leading the way, Montana was picked second in the preseason polls that were announced on Wednesday.

"Experience helps people who have the ball a lot," said Harris. "They've seen every version of every defense that people can throw at them.

"That experience helps Mack play at a tempo where she's really working hard but not in a hurry."

Konig averaged 11.6 points last season while playing a team-leading 30.7 minutes per game.

"The other thing she has done is work like crazy in the weight room and on her conditioning," added Harris.

"She can play big minutes and stay at a consistently high level because of the commitment she's made to improving her conditioning."

Waddington announced herself early as a freshman, leading Montana in both scoring and rebounding off the bench in the Lady Griz' season opener at Gonzaga.

She had her first double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in Montana's Big Sky opener, then a few weeks later put up a season-high 21 points on regular-season champion Montana State.

She was consistently reliable over the season's final two months and joined Konig on the Big Sky All-Tournament team in Boise after averaging 14.7 points and 7.6 rebounds over three games.

"Avery is a unicorn," said Harris. "She is an incredibly talented young lady who can do just about anything on the basketball court. This is a nod to her versatility and to her talent."

Waddington's 319 points last season were the second-most for a true freshman in program history.

"We're looking forward for her to take a big jump," Harris continued. "I think players make a big jump between their freshman and sophomore year, so I'm really excited to see what that means for Avery.

"She is a special talent. We're excited to see what she does this year."

Montana opens the season with a home game against Seattle Pacific on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

University of Montana Athletics

Players Mentioned

Mack Konig

Avery Waddington

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