As the landscape of college athletics changes, the reality of what lies ahead each season for coaches and players does not. Those that live in the mid-major world know that the formula is a simple equation: punch your ticket to the Big Dance with an automatic bid by winning your conference tournament in March. How difficult is it if you do not secure that automatic bid? Only twice has the Summit League been a two-bid league — 2019 and 2021.
The last team other than South Dakota State or South Dakota to win a regular season or tournament title in recent years was former league member Western Illinois in 2017. It has been the Jackrabbits that have dominated the Summit League for the past three seasons, and no one has come close to knocking them off the top spot. SDSU hasn’t lost a Summit League game in the last three seasons: undefeated conference regular seasons and consecutive tournament championships. They have punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament in 13 of the last 17 seasons, include a No. 10 seed last year, advancing to the round of 32.
Welcome to the 2025-26 Summit League season preview at The IX Basketball, powered by The Next. We begin this season’s journey in the winter wonderland of North Dakota, wave at the Black Hills of South Dakota, fish in a Minnesota lake, hit the gateway of the west in Omaha, hike mountain trails in Colorado, eat barbeque in Kansas City and pass through oil fields in Oklahoma. The battles will be fierce, and high-level talent will be on display. Who will be standing tall in Sioux Falls, S.D. on their way to the Big Dance come March?
*The order of teams in this preview reflects the preseason poll (voting panel included the league’s nine head coaches, sports information directors and select media members.)
*A special thank you to our colleagues at The IX Basketball for their assistance with data and team information. Statistics cited in this preview are obtained from schools and conferences.
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SOUTH DAKOTA STATE – 30-4 overall, 16-0 in Summit League in 2024-35
Players in gyms everywhere are often found playing a game called ‘King of the Court’, where you stay until you lose. For the past three years, the Jackrabbits have been the “Queens of the Court” in this league. Head coach Aaron Johnston, who enters his 26th season in Brookings, will be without some familiar faces on this roster, but others are more than ready to step in. Preseason Summit League Player of the Year Brooklyn Meyer averaged 17.4 points and 5.8 boards per game last season. The 6’2 senior shot a blistering 64% from the floor, expanding her game as an underrated passer and finishing through contact. Fellow senior guard Madison Mathiowetz is back after starting every game last season as a junior. The 5’10 native of Sleepy Eye, Minn., was instrumental in SDSU’s victory over Oklahoma State in the NCAA Tournament, pouring in all of her 17 points in the second half. The Jackrabbits were tops in the league in scoring defense, field-goal percentage defense and rebounding yet again last season and will mix in pace with pressure to create scoring opportunities. Johnston has depth at multiple positions, including three redshirt freshmen who will contribute as well as Maggie Hartwig, a transfer from Evansville. The 6’1 junior had 10 20-plus point performances last season. Two sophomores, guard Emily Fox and forward Katie Vasecka, will also see their roles grow dramatically in 2025-26. No strangers to tough non-conference competition, the Jackrabbits will face the likes of Creighton and Duke on the road, travel to the Cancun Challenge for Thanksgiving and then host Texas in Brookings on Dec. 21. They will begin their quest for a four-peat in the Summit League on Jan. 1 when they host St. Thomas.
Senior Madison Mathiowetz (3) is a key piece for the South Dakota State Jackrabbits this season as they set their sights on a fourth consecutive Summit League title. (Photo credit: Dave Eggen/Inertia)
NORTH DAKOTA STATE – 21-12 overall, 11-5 in Summit League play in 2024-25
The 2024-25 season brought a third-place finish and an early exit from the Summit League tournament for North Dakota State. Head coach Jory Collins now has a motivated group in Fargo ready to go this season. Forward Avery Koenen, a stretch-wing that has found consistency in her game, is looking to build on a stellar sophomore campaign. The 6’2 junior was a first-team All-Summit League selection a year ago after leading NDSU is scoring and rebounding (14.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game). Collins will look to junior guards Molly Lenz and Abby Krzewinski to extend the defense as the top returning 3-point shooters. Sophomore Jocelyn Schiller (North Dakota transfer) comes to Fargo as a reigning Summit League Freshman of the Year and is three-level scoring threat for the Bison. She, along with five other newcomers, will give NDSU depth at multiple positions. Consistency throughout the season on both ends of the floor will be critical if this Bison squad wants to compete for a conference title. They will open the season on the road at Northern Iowa on Nov. 3 and play their first home game on Nov. 7 against Gonzaga. A neutral site matchup with Nebraska is on the slate as they prepare to open Summit League action at Oral Roberts on Jan. 1.
NDSU junior Avery Koenen (22) will look to build off a stellar sophomore campaign that saw her garner first-time All-Summit League honors in 2024-25. (Photo credit: Hannah Owens/Inertia)
ORAL ROBERTS – 24-9 overall, 12-4 in Summit League play in 2024-25
For the past three seasons, “speed kills” has been the theme for Oral Roberts. With the top scoring offense in the league (84 points per game), the Golden Eagles posted another 20-win season in 2024-25, getting to the finals of the Summit League tournament. An off-season of changes in Tulsa included the hiring of a new head coach. Cophie Anderson, who had served as associate head coach for three seasons, was hired in March following Kelsie Musick taking the Arkansas job. Anderson has been integral in ORU’s recent success and is instilling a more focused commitment to the defensive end in her first year at the helm of the program. The Golden Eagles will still play fast, but energy and momentum from their defense will feed their offense. 5’8 redshirt senior Jaley Oglesby, the two-time Sixth Woman of the Year in the conference is an instant spark for ORU, averaging 17.3 points and 5.7 rebounds game last season. Junior guard Gentry Baldwin joins Oglesby as returners with the most experience on the roster. New faces and a new era will face big tests in November and December including games against Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Kansas and Tulsa. The Golden Eagles will be screeching on New Year’s Day (Jan. 1) when they host NDSU to open league play.
With a new head coach and overhauled roster, redshirt senior Jalei Oglesby (11) will be the centerpiece of what Oral Roberts will do on the floor during the 2025-26 season. (Photo credit: Dave Eggen/Inertia)
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SOUTH DAKOTA – 11-20 overall, 5-11 in Summit League play in 2024-25
Year 1 of the Carrie Eighmey era at South Dakota was a season of ups and downs, carried by Grace Larkins, the 2025 Summit League Player of the Year. As they turn the page to Year 2, less than 20% of their scoring and rebounding returns and this will truly be a new-look Coyote roster. Eighmey and her staff welcome 13 newcomers that shapes a team with more size, versatility and physicality that can help them climb the conference standings. Returning junior guards Olivia Kieffer and Coral Mason each appeared in 31 games a year ago. Point guard play was a need for USD, and they found it in Denver transfer Angelina Robles. The 5’5 senior made 53 career starts for Denver and has set the tone for the Coyotes as a veteran leader. Eighmey continues to preach that her team must “control the controllables” this season, including unselfish offense (good ball movement) and avoiding the pitfalls of high turnover numbers. Early non-conference matchups on the road at Kansas State and Wyoming will tell us a lot about this overhauled USD roster. Can they can execute the system that Eighmey has installed successfully in her past coaching stops? Summit League action tips on the road Jan. 3 at Kansas City.
South Dakota transfers Patience Williams (left) and Angelina Robles (right) talk to members of the media during the 2025 Summit League Media Day in Sioux Falls, SD. The Coyotes welcome 13 newcomers to their roster for the 2025-26 season.
(Photo credit: Summit League Communications)
ST. THOMAS – 17-13 overall, 9-1 in Summit League play in 2024-25
Head coach Ruth Sinn enters her 21st season as the head coach at St. Thomas in yet another unique position. No longer is it about transition because the Tommies have now arrived as full members at the Division I level. STU won two more games overall each of the last two seasons on the backs of a veteran senior class who have been with Sinn from the start of the transition. Through graduation and the portal, the 2025-26 roster will look quite different, but is ready to compete in the Summit League. Senior Faith Feuerbach played in all 30 contests a season ago and will be called upon to step into a bigger role. Sophomore forward Alyssa Sand returns after averaging 5.9 points per game as a freshman. The 6’3 native of Albany, Minn. has a versatile game that creates matchup problems for opponents. Four freshmen and a handful of transfers will be vying for playing time. Sinn has challenged her team to be more consistent on the defensive end of the floor, looking to improve on the 69 points per game they gave up a season ago. The Tommies are excited for opponents to find a new hostile road environment when they travel to St. Paul, as STU basketball has a new home in the Lee & Penny Anderson Arena. Sinn will test her team again with a tough non-conference schedule before they open Summit League play at SDSU on Jan. 1.
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KANSAS CITY – 11-22 overall, 6-10 in Summit League play in 2024-25
The expectations for the Kansas City program from fourth-year head coach Dionnah Jackson-Durrett are high but simple: be ready to compete and do the little things every time you hit the floor. The message was received last season as the Roos notched three more conference wins in 2024-25 than the year before. They were top five in the conference in total rebounding and the best offensive rebounding squad a season ago. The Summit League is known for its physicality, and the Roos want to be one of the toughest teams in the league. Junior twins Elauni and Emani Bennett return as the team’s top two scorers. At 5’9, Elauni led the Summit League in offensive rebounding and averaged over 24 minutes per game. Emani, a 5’11 guard, posted 15.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore. The Roos also return 6’1 forward Kelby Bannerman (6.2 points and 4.2 boards per game) and add the experience of graduate student point guard Tierra Trotter (UTRGV transfer) to the backcourt. Kansas City will play a tough non-conference road slate, including games at Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri to name a few. There is also the Nov. 12 trip to Oklahoma, which will be a homecoming for Jackson-Durrett. She is one of the most decorated Sooners in women’s basketball history, as a three-time All-Big 12 performer and led her team the program’s first Final Four. The competitive edge will be sharpened early and often for the Roos before Summit League play tips off Dec. 31 with Omaha.
Kansas City head coach Dionnah Jackson-Durrett is now in her fourth year season with the Roos and looking for her team to do big things during the 2025-26 season. (Photo credit: Hannah Owens/Inertia)
NORTH DAKOTA – 12-19 overall, 6-10 in Summit League play in 2024-25
Establishing winning standards is never a simple process, but first-year head coach Dennis Hutter may have a leg up on much of his competition. He moves over one spot from associate head coach and is looking at a very different North Dakota roster in 2025-26. Nine newcomers, including five transfers, will wear the green and white for Hutter, who wants to play faster on both ends. He is pushing this new-look UND roster to be more active on defense, rebound at a higher level and push the ball for an up-tempo offense. Senior Walker Demers returns in the post after missing games late last season due to injury. The 6’1 forward averaged 9.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, shooting just shy of 50% from the field on the year. Senior guard Mikayla Aumer is the top returner in minutes played (30.5 per game) and is the top 3-point threat for the Fighting Hawks. Who else can fill the holes needed for this UND team to compete at the top of the Summit League? Hutter and his staff will learn a lot about their team during tough non-conference road tests at Minnesota and Green Bay, along with home games in Grand Forks against Wyoming and Western Kentucky. Summit League play begins for the Fighting Hawks on Jan. 1 at Denver.
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OMAHA – 14-17 overall, 5-11 in Summit League play in 2024-25
When coaching changes are made in college athletics, it becomes clear which jobs are about rebuilding and others are reloading opportunities. Jamie Carey was hired as the head coach at Omaha in May 2025, and from the first days it was evident it would be a complete rebuild of Maverick women’s basketball. Carey arrives in Omaha with an impressive resume as an All-American performer at Texas, extensive coaching experience and key roles with USA Basketball. With few returners, she hit the ground running, assembling a staff and diving into the transfer portal as well. Junior Cora Olson, a 5’9 guard from Omaha, Neb., has emerged as a leader for Carey during the transition. She started 18 games a season ago, averaging 9.4 points per game. Fellow junior forward Ali Stephens, who also returns, saw action in 28 games as a sophomore. Carey will need an experienced point guard, and she found it in 5’5 graduate student Sarai Estupinan. The Cedar Park, Texas native played last season at Old Dominion but had also been at UTSA, where Carey served as associate head coach. Estupinan has been called “passionate and feisty” by her head coach — just what you need to lead a group of newcomers in a new era of Maverick basketball. The journey begins Nov. 3 at Kansas State and Summit League action tips off Dec. 31 at Kansas City.
Denver head coach Doshia Woods has new faces blending with returners for the 2025-26 season in the Summit League.
(Photo credit: Miranda Sampson/Inertia)
DENVER – 9-21 overall, 2-14 in Summit League play in 2024-25
A season ago, the emphasis for Denver women’s’ basketball was to play with consistency night in and night out. Head coach Doshia Woods, now in her sixth season at the helm of the program, has challenged her squad to not only be consistent in everything they do, but to be one of the best defensive teams in the Summit League. The style of play for the Pioneers lend itself to be a squad that will shoot 3-pointers and play with pace. This season Woods is needing more balance with size, speed and athleticism. Four freshmen and numerous transfers have been added to the roster to give depth at key positions. 6’ senior forward Laila McLeod also returns having missed last season due to injury. Junior guard Laia Monclova, an All-Summit League Newcomer Team selection, made 11 starts a year ago, posting 5.2 points per game. Redshirt sophomore forward Brooke Murrell played 16.5 minutes per game last season but is healthy and ready to do more this year for the Pioneers. Sophomore guard Coryn Watts will have a bigger role this season in the backcourt, along with transfers Lexi Pletschette (Chabot College) and Jocelyn Medina (College of the Sequoias). The Pioneers will open the season by hosting Air Force on Nov. 3 and then after a host of tough non-conference matchups will host North Dakota on Jan. 1 to tip off Summit League play.
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