On Monday, UConn women’s basketball signee Olivia Vukosa was named a McDonald’s All-American. She was selected to the east team for the contest, which will take place on Mar. 31, 2025 at Desert Diamond
Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
The No. 3 player in the class of 2026, Vukosa is a 6-4 post player out of the legendary Christ The King High School in New York which has sent Sue Bird, Tina Charles and Lorin Dixon to Storrs previously. Geno Auriemma described her as “the most skilled kid coming out of high school for her size” and compared her to former UConn great Stefanie Dolson.
Vukosa claimed Gatorade and Max Preps New York Player of the Year last season and plays on the international stage with Croatia, where her grandparents were born. This year, she landed on the Naismith Girls’ High School Player of the Year Midseason Team.
The Whitestone, New York native will be the Huskies’ first McDonald’s All-American since 2024, when Sarah Strong, Morgan Cheli and Allie Ziebell all earned the honor. In fact, 2025 was just the second time UConn hasn’t brought in a McDonald’s All-American since the women’s game began in 2002, joining the 2013 class.
Overall, the Huskies have signed 49 McDonald’s All-Americans in its history while 50 have ended up playing for the program. Elena DelleDonne participated in the contest as a UConn commit but never suited up for the Huskies, while Evina Westbrook and Kayleigh Heckel started their collegiate careers at Tennessee and USC, respectively, before transferring to UConn.
The current roster current features 10 McDonald’s All-Americans: Azzi Fudd, Caroline Ducharme, Ayanna Patterson, Ice Brady, KK Arnold, Ashlynn Shade, Strong, Ziebell, Cheli and Heckel.
Vukosa is one of two players in the Huskies’ 2025 recruiting class alongside Jovana Popovic, a guard out Serbia. They still have one scholarship open for next season and reportedly pursuing Spanish center Sara Okeke.
