WBB: Way Too Early '25-'26 Preview
Memorial day 2025 and the Longest Day of racing may have just passed but it's never too early to take a look at the women's basketball picture for 2025...
In 30 days the WAC women’s basketball picture changes for 2025-2026 as defending champion GCU and last place Seattle U both depart.
Let’s take a “Way too Early” look at the seven teams who will contest next year’s “Road to WACVegas.”
The Favorites:
ACU, CBU and Utah Tech will return the most talent in terms of starting production so any look at next year’s regular season favorites has to begin with those three teams
Abilene Christian:
ACU is coming off of their first national tournament appearance since 2021, reaching the WNIT’s Super 16. The Wildcats posted highs in victories, overall winning percentage and highest conference winning percentage since 2020.
While the Wildcats do lose veterans in Bella Earle, Zoe Jackson, and Mia Rivers they’ll return a strong underclassman core motivated to continue the upward trend from 2024-2025.
Payton Hull, a preseason all WAC selection last year, missed nearly two months with a wrist injury but returned for ACU’s WAC tournament loss to Utah Valley and went on a tear over those final four games. The junior, who will likely be a preseason all-WAC selection in October, averaged 20.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per contest over that March stretch. Hull shot just under 36 percent from 3-point distance on the year and 45 percent in total.
In an early summer poll the fans selected Hull as Preseason Player of the Year.
Erin Woodson will also return for a second campaign. Woodson found her groove in the season’s second half, averaging just under 12 points per game for the stretch run which included a pair of 20+ point performances in second round games against CBU and Northwestern State in WNIT play. She shot 33 percent from 3-point range and just under 42 percent for the year.
Breanna Davis, who stepped into a starters role when Mia Rivers was lost for the year due to an ACL injury, also returns. The North Texas transfer had four games of five assists, all in mid-January or later.
They’ll also have experience back in the post as both Emma Troxell and Meredith Mayes return. The pair combined to averaged 22.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 90 assists, and 92 steals. Mayes was also one of the WAC’s top shot blockers with 36. Aimee Flippen entered 30 of 35 games, averaging eight minutes per contest and will be in the mix for minutes also.
Natalia Chavez, a New Mexico transfer, will likely be the first option off the bench at the guard spot. Chavez shot just under 31 percent from 3-point range and appeared in all 35 games, making three starts.
Julie Goodenough went into the portal and got redshirt junior transfer Jazmyn Stone from the College of Charleston. Stone started six of her final eight games in Charleston and averaged 11.3 points with 2.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.6 steals over those contests.
Also joining the Wildcats this year will be a quartet of high school freshman. Continuing the twin theme across the WAC will be Molly and Emma Daugherty from South Carolina. Molly was a 1,000 point scorer at the high school level while Emma has averaged between 9.6 and 10.7 points per game over her last three high school seasons. Also joining the Wildcats is Bree Riley, a Texas native who averaged nearly 26 points per game in her final two high school seasons.
California Baptist University:
2024 champion CBU was hampered by injuries last year in their title defense but Jarrod Olson’s team still managed to finish above .500 in WAC play.
Olson will return Khloe Lemon, Grace Schmidt, Emma Johansson, Filippa Barros, and CeCe Legaspi for the Lancers WAC swan song. That group played in 99 combined games and started 79 of those contests.
Lemon missed the Lancer non-conference slate but came back with a bang, scoring 39 points in her second game back against Utah Valley. With that performance she set CBU’s record for made 3-pointers in a game and tied the WAC record. It also tied Britney Thomas’ record for most points in a Division 1 game. She finished with eight straight and 10 of her last 11 games in double-digit scoring, shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 43.9 percent from 3-point range. Lemon was a second-team all-WAC selection.
Schmidt missed much of 2023-2024 due to a knee injury but very quickly found her groove, scoring a career-high 34 points in her third game back against Pepperdine. She had a stretch of 11 straight games in double-digit scoring from December 30 to February 6. Schmidt’s 53.3 percent field goal percentage was second in the WAC, only trailing GCU’s Laura Erikstrup.
Johansson was the only Lancer to appear in all 31 games, averaging 8.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game along with a league-leading 62 blocks.
Legaspi was named WAC Freshman of the Year, averaging 6.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in league play while appearing in all 16 games. She shot 39 percent from the field and 34 percent from beyond the arc.
As a freshman in ‘23-’24, Barros was the team’s second leading scorer at 12.3 points per game while shooting 39 percent from the floor and 30 percent at 3-point range. She also was third on the team in assists at 104 as CBU won both regular season and WAC tournament titles en route to an NCAA tournament berth. A year ago she played in two games before using a medical redshirt while getting over a foot injury.
Olson went into the portal and added a pair of Sacramento State transfers in Sofia Alonso and Paula Haw. Also joining the Lancers will be Chance Bucher, who spent last season at Division II Eckerd College after two years at Portland. Bucher was a WBCA Honorable Mention All-American and First Team all-Sunshine State Conference selection a season ago.
Alonso played in 12 games for the Hornets, all before Christmas. Her best performance was on November 17 against Long Beach State when she scored 17 points on 3-8 3-point shooting with five rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes. She also played against ACU at FIU’s tournament and had nine turnovers in 28 minutes in that contest.
Haw appeared in just four games, all after the new year. At 6’ 5” she’ll be counted on to give the Lancers a bit of post depth behind Schmidt and Johansson.
Bucher averaged 15.1 points per game while shooting 39.9 percent from 3-point range. She had a streak of seven straight double-digit scoring games to finish the season as well as a six game streak at mid-year and registered seven 20+ point performances, including a 30 point effort where she hit a season-high seven 3-pointers.
CBU’s biggest question will be at the point guard spot as Anaiyah Tu’ua graduated and Claudia Fiel transferred to Iona. They combined for 237 of the Lancers 461 assists (51.4%). Nhug Bosch Duran was third in assists at 60 and that means CBU will start last year without 64.4% of their assists from a year ago.
Utah Tech:
After finishing fourth in 2023-2024 Utah Tech had a rough 2024-2025 season but still earned a WAC tournament win.
The Trailblazers had lost Breaunna Gillen and Maggie McCord to graduation and then found out they would be without Maddie and Macie Warren, recovering from ACL injuries sustained late last season.
Emily Isaacson was the veteran tasked with leading a young Trailblazer side that had six true freshman and four true sophomores on it. She finished her career averaging a solid 12.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting just under 41 percent from 3-point range.
The Trailblazers lost Aaliyah Ibarra, Nicole Willardson, Kastyn Young, Makeili Ika, and Ellie Clawson to the portal.
But JD Gustin will still return the core of last year’s roster, led by all-WAC Freshman Team member Ellie Taylor. Taylor averaged 12.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game in WAC play while shooting 41.8 percent (36.4% 3-point range). Taylor was in double-digit scoring for an eight out of nine game stretch from mid-January to mid-February, scoring a career-high 22 points against Tarleton State.
Also back will be Chardonay Hartley, who led the WAC in assists at 6.4 per game last season (including a 13 assist performance in mid-January against Seattle U). She also finished sixth in the country in the assist per game column and proved more than a capable scorer, averaging 10.7 points per game over her last seven games.
Brie Crittendon had some of her best performances against the Trailblazers’ toughest non-conference opponents. Among them are a 16 point and five rebound effort against Pitt just before Christmas, a 15 point with four rebound performance against UTEP, and a 14 point with four rebound effort against Colorado.
If Gustin can get the Warren’s back at their pre-injury numbers with improvements from the returners Utah Tech could have the conference’s top offense starting next year. In ‘23-’24 they combined to average 30.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, connecting on 123 3-pointers at a 36.6 percent rate. The Trailblazers were seventh in scoring offense a year ago in WAC play at just under 61 points per game but second in made 3-pointers at 129.
They’ll need to make inroads on a -7.5 rebounding margin and the WAC’s seventh best scoring defense in order to be title contenders.
Gustin went and got Nevada transfer Kaylee Borden from the portal. Borden is a career 38.3 percent 3-point shooter (36 of 94) who appeared in all 32 games during the ‘23-’24 season. He also went and signed forward Rose Boisnel, who has FIBA 3x3 and professional experience in her native France.
Also joining the Trailblazers will be a pair of high school seniors. Annalyse Shimada was a three-time UHSAA 4A all-state and all-region selection who averaged 12.7 points per game in 65 career games at the high school level. Merceius Mili rounds out the class after earning an all-region honorable mention selection.
The Reloaders:
Tarleton State, UT Arlington, Utah Valley and Southern Utah all took heavy losses to graduation and/or the portal. These four teams will need to reload heavily to be players in 2025-2026.
Tarleton State:
Coming off a runner-up finish in the regular season standings and a WNIT appearance Tarleton State lost 80 percent of their scoring to graduation and the portal. The Texans will return second leading scorer Jakoriah Long, who averaged 10.3 points per game on 40.3 percent field goal shooting (38.9% 3-point shooting and earned all WAC Second-Team honors. Also back for the Texans will be Kyriana Jones and Mylasia Smith, who combined to enter 36 games and average 13.4 minutes per game.
Bill Brock got what will be a reload off to a good start with the addition of former WAC Newcomer of the Year Gia Adams from North Texas. Adams did not appear in a game for the Mean Green last year. However, in her last full season at UT Arlington Adams started 33 games for the Lady Mavs, averaging 14.5 points per game along with 3.3 assists and 2.9 rebounds a contest. Also making the move from North Texas is Shadasia Brackens, who appeared in 30 games and averaged 7.6 minutes per contest.
Rounding out the Texan portal class is Tessa Engelman, a transfer from Mount St. Mary’s of the MAAC. Engelman had 30 blocks a season ago while averaging just under four points per game in 19.3 minutes per game.
Brock also added a pair of junior college transfers in Allie Myers and Jailynn Brill. Brill has a year of Division I experience at Western Kentucky and last year started 26 of 28 games at Chipola College, averaging 15.2 minutes per contest and shooting 56.6 percent from the field while grabbing 6.4 rebounds per game. Myers started 29 of 30 games at Seward County Community College, averaging 11.5 points per game in nearly 27 minutes a game while grabbing 13 rebounds.
Four high school freshman also join the fold.
Tarleton State’s biggest question is offense, having lost eight of their top nine scorers to graduation and/or the portal.
UT Arlington:
After pushing GCU to the brink in the WAC tournament final and winning a WNIT game UT Arlington goes back to square one. The Lady Mavs graduated 47.2 points per game (65.4% of their scoring) between Koi Love, Avery Brittingham, Taliyah Clark and Aspen Thornton and 90 of 134 made 3-pointers.
Nya Threatt will lead the returners after making 25 starts a year ago and appearing in all but two games, averaging 6.6 points and just over two assists per game.
Shereka Wright will also return a combined 122 games entered with 17 starts between Miraya Perkins, Kendal Robinson, Alexsyah Godeau, and Kali Haizlip. They all averaged between 2.5 and 4.6 points per contest a year ago. Robinson was an all-WAC Freshman Team selection a year ago.
Look for Idaho State/Newman University transfer Laura Bello to step into one of the starting spots vacated by Love and Brittingham. Bello was a Big Sky Honorable Mention selection in 2022-2023 after averaging 11.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per contest (34th in per game rebounding). While Bello’s offense dropped off a bit the following season she led Idaho State in blocks for their 2023-2024 season before leaving for UT Arlington. Bello missed the 2024-2025 season due to an injury.
Wright has been busy in the portal with a bevy of signings.
Most notable of them is the signings of Mila, Amiyah, and Kira Reynolds. Mila has extensive Power 4 experience, having spent three seasons between Purdue and Maryland and was part of postseason success at each stop. At Purdue she averaged 7.0 points per game during the Boilermakers 2022-2023 WNIT run, hitting a program-record four 3-pointers in a game against Butler. While at Maryland she entered 22 games for a Terrapin side that reached the Elite 8. Amiyah was also at Purdue, entering 23 games with eight starts and averaged 1.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 13.7 minutes per game. Kira is an incoming freshman who had Indiana’s only quintuple-double at the high school level, recorded on January 4 of this year.
Also joining the Lady Mavs will be Jadyn Atchison, Natasha Barnes, Jeanne Rodriguez, and Laya Hartman.
Atchison comes to UT Arlington by way of Old Dominion and Colorado. She averaged just under six minutes a game last year at ODU in 31 appearances and in 2023-2024 entered 14 games for Colorado, averaging nearly four minutes per game.
Hartman spent four years at Northwestern with 57 total games entered and has spent the last two years at NYU film school. Her best year was in 2021-2022 when she averaged 7.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game in 26 minutes per contest. That year, Hartman was a 39 percent 3-point shooter…connecting on 29 of 75 3-point attempts.
Rodriguez was a first team all Scenic West conference selection at Salt Lake Community College last season, averaging 7.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 19.8 minutes per contest while shooting 59 percent from the floor.
Utah Valley:
After a Division I era-best 19 wins and coming within a minute of a third-round berth in the WNIT, Utah Valley looks to build upon that progress in 2025-2026.
Gone are veterans Tahlia White, Ally Criddle, and Danja Stafford-Collins. The trio combined to average 26.1 points per game while making 63 of UVU’s 178 3-pointers last year.
Nielson will return Amanda Barcello, Halle Nelson, and Tessa Chaney. The trio combined to make 69 starts a season ago and averaged 22.7 points per contest.
Barcello played some of her best basketball down the stretch, reaching double-digit scoring in four of Utah Valley’s nine games. That included a 24 point and six 3-point performance against Abilene Christian in the WAC tournament.
Nelson was in double-digit scoring in six of her final ten games, posting a 22 point and 10 rebound double-double against Tarleton State in the home finale.
Chaney meanwhile averaged nine points per game in the Wolverines two WNIT games.
Nielson went into the portal and signed BYU transfer Naia Tanuvasa along with Colorado State transfer Kaylee Headrick.
Tanuvasa appeared in 10 games at BYU but as a senior in high school she averaged nearly 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.7 steals per game while helping Lone Peak to a UHSAA state title.
Headrick was teammates with Tessa Chaney while in high school. At Colorado State she entered 27 games with four starts. At the JC level (College of Southern Idaho) she was an NJCCAA All-American in 2023-2024, averaging 12.4 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.
He also signed Evie Leeson, a New Zealand based post player who redshirted at Alaska-Anchorage last year. She comes to Orem with Women’s Premier League experience, having played with Checkers in 2023 and 2024.
Anna Shreeve, a 5’8” guard from San Juan Hills High School, will also join the fold. As a senior she averaged 19.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.5 steals per game en route to league MVP honors. San Juan Hills reached this year’s CIF Southern Section quarterfinals
Utah Valley’s defense was eighth in turnovers forced, 107th in points per game, and sixth in steals per game a season ago. The Wolverines biggest question will be offense and who steps up to replace White as UVU’s featured scorer.
Southern Utah:
It took awhile for Southern Utah to get going but when they put it together the TBirds had some pretty nice results, beating CBU in Riverside on a buzzer-beater along with taking three of four games from Utah Tech and Utah Valley. They also defeated WNIT Super 16 participant ACU in Cedar City.
However, they’ll lose veterans like Daylani Ballena, Sam Johnston, Sydney Gandy, Lexi Bull, and Jaeden Brown to graduation.
Tracy Mason will still have Ava Uhrich and Ashley Banks back for another year, anchoring the paint.
Sierra Chambers, Kortney Doman, and Charli Kay also return. The trio entered a combined 85 of 90 games while earning 35.5 minutes and scoring 7.9 points per game. The TBirds biggest question will be if this group can make the jump from role player to probable starter?
Mason added WBCA Junior College all-American Brooklyn Fely to the fold. Feely averaged a 22 point and 13 rebound double-double at Umpqua Community College last season, scoring 30+ points seven times. She also set the NWAC tournament single-game scoring record with 52 points and was a two-time Player of the Year.
Also coming from the Junior College ranks is Morgan Trigueiro, a transfer from College of Sequoias who averaged 19.1 points per game last season and logged 13 20+ point performances, shooting 46% from the field and 41% from 3-point range.
Mason rounded out the class by signing Nike Borg, a member of both the Swedish National U16 and U18 teams who will add additional size down low at 6’3.”
Southern Utah will need to find more offense as the TBirds averaged just a shade under 60 points per game last year while shooting 40 percent in WAC play (29% 3-point range).