The Mountain West looks very different in 2026-27. San Diego State, Colorado State, Boise State, Fresno State, and Utah State left for the rebuilt Pac-12, and UTEP, Hawai’i, and UC Davis replaced them, making this a 10-team conference. Colorado State won last year’s tournament over No. 9 seed Air Force, and the Rams are not here to defend it. UNLV tied for second at 15-5 and has the league’s best head-coach winning percentage, but the Lady Rebels also have to replace most of their roster. Nevada, New Mexico, and Hawai’i will all have new head coaches, and every program on this list is working with a roster that looks very different from last season’s.
The Big Picture
The old Mountain West was led by San Diego State, which went 19-1 and lost 83-76 to Air Force in the quarterfinals. Colorado State then beat that same Air Force team 56-42 in the final. UNLV and Colorado State tied for second at 15-5, New Mexico and Boise State tied for fourth at 14-6, and Grand Canyon was sixth at 11-9. Only UNLV, New Mexico, and Grand Canyon from that group remain. Hawai’i and UC Davis arrive from the Big West, where they finished fourth and third, and UTEP comes over from Conference USA after a 5-13 league season.
Roster change is a big story in the conference as well. Grand Canyon has 12 new players and four returners, New Mexico has 11 new players, and UNLV and UTEP each have 10. Hawai’i is the opposite, with eight of its 12 players back, including the Big West Freshman of the Year. I lean toward teams that kept their top scorer or added players who already produced in big roles, which is why UNLV, Grand Canyon, and Hawai’i sit at the top of my order, and the programs that lost most of their offense sit near the bottom.
Skim Milkey’s Predicted 2026-27 Order of Finish
1 - UNLV
2 - Grand Canyon
3 - Hawai’i
4 - New Mexico
5 - UC Davis
6 - Air Force
7 - Wyoming
8 - Nevada
9 - UTEP
10 - San Jose State
Skim Milkey’s Preseason All-Mountain West Team
Jayda McNabb, G, Air Force
Chloe Mann, G, Grand Canyon
Maya Foz, G, Grand Canyon
Bailey Flavell, G, Hawai’i
Ritorya Tamilo, F, Hawai’i
Sierra Chambers, G, Nevada
Keiara Curtis, G, New Mexico
Laila Abdurraqib, G, New Mexico
Avery Sussex, G, UC Davis
Bergan Kinnebrew, G, UNLV
Jasmyn Lott, G, UNLV
Meadow Roland, F, UNLV
Imani Warren, G, UTEP
Mary Moses Amaniyo, F, UTEP
Jane Rumpf, F, Wyoming
UNLV
Record: 21-11, 15-5 Mountain West (2nd, tie)
Coach: Lindy La Rocque, 7th season, 149-41
UNLV beat Fresno State 79-65 in the quarterfinals, then lost 66-59 to Colorado State in the semifinals last year, capping a season without a postseason appearance. The biggest loss is Shelbee Brown, an All-Defensive forward and honorable-mention All-Mountain West pick who averaged 11.0 points and 9.8 rebounds. Guard Aaliyah Alexander, with 11.3 points and 3.2 assists, is gone too, as are Mariah Elohim at 7.7 points and Destiny Leo at 4.3, plus Sydni Summers, Teagan Colvin, and Destiny Brown.
Only three players are back, but two of them are among the league’s best. Meadow Roland was an All-Mountain West and All-Defensive forward as a sophomore, averaging 15.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks. Jasmyn Lott started 26 games and averaged 12.5 points. Sophomore forward Trystan James averaged 2.4 points.
La Rocque rebuilt through the portal. Marley Washenitz, a fifth-year guard, started 35 games at Arizona State and averaged 7.9 points. Norah Moo is a forward who played at Grand Canyon, Maia Rosarion is a guard who spent last season at Nevada, and Bergan Kinnebrew is a senior guard from the University of Mary. Kinnebrew averaged 22.4 points, second in the nation at the Division II level, and was the NSIC North Player of the Year. The freshmen are Terri’A Russell, Keonni Lewis, Arianna Davis, Jayla Constant, Ava Bergeson, and Tristan Williams.
I pick UNLV to win the league because Roland and Lott are two of the league’s best players, and La Rocque has not had a losing season in six years. The roster around them is mostly new, so the early games will be about chemistry, with Washenitz and Kinnebrew as the pieces to watch. I would still be surprised by anything worse than a seventh straight winning season and another finish near the top of the conference.
Players to watch: Meadow Roland, Jasmyn Lott, Marley Washenitz, Bergan Kinnebrew
Grand Canyon
Record: 13-19, 11-9 Mountain West (6th)
Coach: Winston Gandy, 2nd season, 13-19
Grand Canyon beat Utah State 75-58 in the first round and then lost 61-59 to Colorado State in the quarterfinals. Julianna LaMendola, an All-Mountain West guard, is the biggest loss at 11.5 points and 6.4 rebounds, followed by Anisa Jeffries, who gave the Lopes 8.3 points and 5.5 rebounds. Ale’Jah Douglas, Casey Valenti-Paea, and Karley Johnson are also gone, and Norah Moo transferred to UNLV.
Chloe Mann is the top returner after starting all 32 games and averaging 13.0 points, 3.0 assists, and 1.2 steals. Ines Zounia made the Mountain West All-Freshman team, averaging 6.9 points, and started 21 games. Diamond Wright averaged 3.0 points, and Kaitlyn Elsholz is the fourth player back.
Maya Foz leads a portal class that supplies most of Gandy’s help, after averaging 14.4 points and starting 31 games at Bradley. Keana Foz averaged 9.4 points and 2.0 steals at Wagner. Jana Sallman comes from William & Mary after putting up 8.6 points and 6.0 rebounds, and Ashlynn Chlarson started 28 games at Arkansas. Nyadieng Yiech comes from Florida, and Dasha Biriuk and T’yana Todd come from Ohio State, while Sifa Ineza has played at Florida International and Middle Tennessee. The freshmen are Yasmeen Schmidt, Lanelle Wright, KJ McNealy, and Cora Bennett.
Grand Canyon sits second because of its portal class: Maya Foz, Keana Foz, Sallman, and Chlarson all arrive from big roles elsewhere, and Mann is the established scorer the group can build around. Twelve new players is a lot for Gandy to blend in his second year, and the offense cannot run through Mann alone. The Lopes went 11-9 in the league last season, which makes a top-two finish believable.
Players to watch: Chloe Mann, Maya Foz, Keana Foz, Jana Sallman
Hawai’i
Record: 22-11, 14-6 Big West (4th)
Coach: Khalilah Mitchell, 1st season, 0-0
Hawai’i beat Cal State Fullerton 72-61 in overtime and UC Irvine 67-63 in the Big West tournament before losing 60-48 to UC San Diego in the final. Laura Beeman retired in April, and Mitchell, who had been an assistant on her staff, was promoted to the job. The Rainbow Wahine also lost a pair of All-Big West second-teamers: Saniyah Neverson, 10.2 points and 5.2 rebounds, and Imani Perez, 7.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks. Keiara Curtis, who averaged 9.2 points and made the Big West All-Freshman team, transferred to New Mexico.
Eight players return, led by Bailey Flavell. She was the Big West Freshman of the Year and a second-team selection, starting all 31 games and averaging 12.6 points and 4.2 rebounds. Ritorya Tamilo was the league’s Best Sixth Player at 5.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks. Kyra Webb averaged 3.9 points, Jovi Lefotu averaged 3.6, Teyahna Bond averaged 3.5, and Jade Peacock started 19 games. Rebecca Moors and Fiamma Serra also return.
Outside help is thin after the team retained so many players from last year’s roster. Liz Udeze, a junior guard, comes from Mt. San Antonio College, and Zyriah Price, a junior forward, comes from Siena. Freshmen Taryn Bond and Payton Mills round out the class.
Mitchell inherits most of a 22-win team, and that continuity keeps Hawai’i near the top, but a new league and a first-year head coach leave the Rainbow Wahine just behind Grand Canyon. They lost Neverson’s scoring and Perez’s rim protection, and Tamilo, last year’s Best Sixth Player, is the obvious candidate to fill that role if she can move from the bench into a starting spot. If she does, Hawai’i can still make a run at the top two.
Players to watch: Bailey Flavell, Ritorya Tamilo, Kyra Webb, Liz Udeze
New Mexico
Record: 22-10, 14-6 Mountain West (4th, tie)
Coach: Amy Eagan, 1st season, 0-0 (18th overall, 329-191)
New Mexico lost 62-61 to Boise State in the quarterfinals, a single point from the semifinals. After the season, the Lobos parted ways with Mike Bradbury and hired Amy Eagan from Lindenwood. Beyond the head coach, they also lost significant talent from the roster. Destinee Hooks, an All-Mountain West guard, averaged 13.4 points per game; Cacia Antonio added 10.3 points and 5.2 rebounds; Joana Magalhães averaged 8.7 points; and Alyssa Hargrove contributed 6.5 points and 2.6 assists. Nayli Padilla, an 8.0-point scorer, transferred to San Diego State.
Four players return. Laila Abdurraqib made the All-Freshman team at 7.5 points a game, almost all of it off the bench. Drew Jordon averaged 2.8 points in 32 games, and Kaia Foster and Leonor Peixinho return as reserves.
Three newcomers come from Lindenwood. Gracie Kelsey started 31 games and averaged 7.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists; Gracy Wernli averaged 7.1 points; and Valerie Norwood averaged 4.5 points. Keiara Curtis arrives from Hawai’i, Mila Reynolds is a fifth-year forward from UT Arlington, Brynn Eshoo comes from Tulsa, and Katie Duncan comes from Hutchinson Community College. The freshmen are Maya Thompson, Quintilla Hidalgo, Kate Wernli, and Savannah Stricker.
Fourth is where I land with New Mexico. The Lobos won 22 games last year, and Eagan has 329 career wins, but most of the rotation that produced that record is gone. Curtis should take over as the lead scorer, and the three Lindenwood players already know Eagan’s system. That should keep the Lobos in the top half, but still a little short of Grand Canyon.
Players to watch: Keiara Curtis, Gracie Kelsey, Laila Abdurraqib, Mila Reynolds
UC Davis
Record: 23-11, 15-5 Big West (3rd, WNIT appearance)
Coach: Jennifer Gross, 16th season, 281-177
UC Davis beat UC Riverside 70-59 in the Big West quarterfinals, lost 84-79 to UC San Diego in the semifinals, and then lost 71-68 at Pepperdine in the first round of the WNIT. The Aggies lost three of their four leading scorers. Megan Norris, a first-team All-Big West forward, was a double-double machine at 12.2 points and 12.3 rebounds. Ryann Bennett, a second-team guard, led the team at 15.2 points and 4.1 assists, and Nya Epps, an All-Defensive team pick, added 13.2 points and 4.3 rebounds. Victoria Baker is no longer with the team, either.
Six players return, with Avery Sussex leading the offense. She started all 32 games last year and averaged 12.6 points, 3.1 assists, and 1.6 steals as a sophomore. Tegan Young started 31 games and averaged 6.3 points and 4.1 rebounds. Emmy Ersdala and Sophie Lentfer each averaged 2.2 points, and Carrington Davis and Theoni Tsami are also back.
Sahana Kanagasabay, a redshirt junior guard, comes from Providence, and Angeliki Ziaka, a junior guard, comes from Davidson. The freshmen are Anna Bassett, Layla Dixon, Rebecca Donnelly, Holly Ensoll, Marta Forsline, and Taylor Hicks, and Ensoll, at 6-6, is the tallest player on the roster and could make a big difference.
The Aggies are fifth, a step below their 15-5 Big West finish, because three of their four leading scorers are gone. Gross has Sussex to lean on, plus six freshmen, Ensoll in particular, who will see the floor right away. A top-four finish in their first year in the league is possible. I would not pick a freshman group over the veteran teams above them.
Players to watch: Avery Sussex, Tegan Young, Sahana Kanagasabay, Holly Ensoll
Air Force
Record: 16-19, 7-13 Mountain West (8th, tie, WNIT appearance)
Coach: Stacy McIntyre, 3rd season, 34-34
Air Force was the story of the conference tournament. As the No. 9 seed, the Falcons beat Wyoming, San Diego State 83-76, and Boise State 68-66 before losing 56-42 to Colorado State, then falling 79-72 to Northern Colorado in the first round of the WNIT. Milahnie Perry, an All-Mountain West guard who averaged 17.7 points, is gone, as is Emily Adams, who averaged 9.4 points and 5.2 rebounds. Bhret Clay, an All-Freshman team member, is not on this year’s roster after transferring to UTSA.
Jayda McNabb is the reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and started all 34 games, averaging 7.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.9 steals. Keelie O’Hollaren averaged 9.1 points and started 17 games; Alexis Cortez started 21 and averaged 5.1 points; and Jordyn DeVaughn averaged 4.8 points. Marissa Hargrave, AJ Mannering, Maddy Jensen, Eva Love, and Julia Leach also return.
No transfers are on this roster, so the new faces are freshmen: Chloe Parker, Morgan Ainsworth, Carson Fayard, Marisa Taylor, Dixon McLanahan, and Taylor Sipfle. Felicity McFillin, a sophomore guard who spent 2024-25 at USAFA Prep and did not play last season, is also on the roster.
McNabb anchors the defense, and nine players who logged minutes are back, which is why I have Air Force sixth, but the Falcons went 7-13 in league play, and Perry scored nearly twice as many points per game as anyone returning. O’Hollaren and Cortez get the first crack at that offense, and McIntyre will lean on a six-player freshman class for rotation minutes. Another March run would be a surprise.
Players to watch: Jayda McNabb, Keelie O’Hollaren, Alexis Cortez, Jordyn DeVaughn
Wyoming
Record: 10-20, 7-13 Mountain West (8th, tie)
Coach: Heather Ezell, 5th season, 73-58
Wyoming lost to Air Force in the first round of the conference tournament, finishing the worst season of Ezell’s tenure. Malene Pedersen, an All-Mountain West guard who averaged 16.9 points, and Henna Sandvik, who averaged 10.3 points and 4.4 rebounds, leave a hole at the top of the scoring list. Logann Alvar, Madi Symons, Heidur Karlsdottir, Lana Beslic, and Aurore Eyango are also gone.
Jane Rumpf, an All-Freshman forward who averaged 7.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks, leads the returnees. Payton Muma started 22 games and averaged 3.7 points and 2.6 assists; Liv Blomkvist, Katie Harrington, and Peyton Wohlford also return. Kati Ollilainen returns after missing last season with an injury; she averaged 3.7 points in 34 games in 2024-25.
Norah Clark, a junior forward, started 21 games at UT Martin and averaged 6.4 points. Kaylan Deveney, a senior center, comes from Rider; Merceius Mili from Utah Tech; and Ophelia Powell from Cal State Bakersfield. Jersey Berg, a junior guard, arrives from Williston State College, and Hayley Johnson, a junior forward, from San Jose City College. The freshmen are Zoey Blackwell, Karly Davis, and Taylor Donaldson.
Seventh is as high as I can go with Wyoming. Ezell took the Cowgirls to the postseason in each of her first three seasons, and Rumpf still has room to grow, but Pedersen and Sandvik alone accounted for more than 27 points a game. Clark and a handful of new guards are the answer to that hole, and a rotation built mostly from transfers and freshmen is a thin foundation, leaving the Cowgirls just inside the bottom half.
Players to watch: Jane Rumpf, Norah Clark, Payton Muma, Kaylan Deveney
Nevada
Record: 10-21, 6-14 Mountain West (10th)
Coach: Kelly Sopak, 1st season, 0-0
Nevada lost 74-57 to Fresno State in the first round of the conference tournament and then changed coaches in March. Sopak is a Nevada alumnus who comes from Carondelet High School in Concord, California, where his team won the 2025 state Division I title. He has no prior experience as a college head coach. The Wolf Pack lose Skylar Durley, the Mountain West Freshman of the Year, averaging 11.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, and Ahrray Young, who scored 9.3 points per game. Maia Rosarion transferred to UNLV, and Chloe Williams, Makayla Carter, and Tahj-Monet Bloom are gone as well.
Izzy Sullivan started all 30 games and averaged 7.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. Gabby Ramos averaged 5.1 points in 19 games as a freshman; Kendra Hicks averaged 3.6, and Olivia Poulivaati, Britain Backus, Imbie Jones, and Amelia Raidaveta each averaged between 2.5 and 3.0 points. Elle Motherway is the other player back.
The new group centers on Sierra Chambers, a guard who averaged 15.2 points and 3.8 assists in 36.7 minutes per game at Southern Utah. Mahaila Harrison comes from Alaska Anchorage, Aili Tanke from Iowa State, Alexis Swillis from UNLV, and Hanna Jolinder from Alvik Basketball Club in Sweden. The freshmen are Fa’anaetaua Puloka, Dyllyn Howell, and Delaney Arredondo.
Chambers and Sullivan make a solid backcourt, but the Wolf Pack lost their Freshman of the Year and will start over under a coach who can turn this program around. Chambers has scored at Southern Utah rather than in this league, and the forwards on the roster will not easily replace Durley’s rebounding. I think they will land around eighth, but watch out for Nevada once Sopak finishes building his culture.
Players to watch: Sierra Chambers, Izzy Sullivan, Gabby Ramos, Kendra Hicks
UTEP
Record: 13-17, 5-13 Conference USA (10th)
Coach: Keitha Adams, 20th season, 320-264 (31st overall, 527-394)
UTEP lost 82-77 in double overtime to Jacksonville State in the first round of the Conference USA tournament. Adams returned to the Miners in 2023 after six years at Wichita State and now takes them into the Mountain West. UTEP loses five of its six leading scorers. Portia Adams scored 12.3 points a game, Ivane Tensaie 11.0, Ndack Mbengue 9.4 points with 7.8 rebounds, Sirviva Legions 9.1, and Heaven Samayoa-Mathis 7.3, and all five are gone. Delma Zita, a senior who gave them 4.7 points and 2.6 assists, is gone as well.
Mary Moses Amaniyo is the best player back. She was the Conference USA Sixth Player of the Year, averaging 8.1 points and 7.7 rebounds. Aolani Woldai averaged 2.6 points, and Tatiana Collazo averaged 1.6 points, and those three are the only returners.
Imani Warren is the best newcomer after averaging 12.0 points and starting 23 games at New Mexico State. Most of the rest of the group comes from junior college: Arminda Joaquim from Odessa College, Isabel Joao and Dilangue Cruz from South Plains College, and Zainab Olalekan and Armanda Sindalawa from Clarendon College. The freshmen are Charlotte Aldridge, Kobe Johnson, Krista Lukasevica, and Apostolia Zormpala.
UTEP is ninth because it lost nearly all its scoring and finished tenth in Conference USA last year. Warren is the only reliable scorer, Moses Amaniyo the only reliable rebounder, and the rest of the roster is either new to Division I or played small roles last year. The Miners should finish ahead of San Jose State, with Nevada and Wyoming within reach.
Players to watch: Imani Warren, Mary Moses Amaniyo, Arminda Joaquim, Isabel Joao
San Jose State
Record: 4-28, 2-18 Mountain West (11th, tie)
Coach: Jonas Chatterton, 2nd season, 4-28
San Jose State lost 68-51 to Boise State in the first round of the conference tournament, and the Spartans won only two league games. Four of the top five scorers are gone: Maya Anderson at 13.7 points and 6.5 rebounds, Amira Brown at 9.4 points and 5.6 rebounds, Allie Cummins at 8.5 points, and Katarina Anderson at 5.4. Stella Sgro and Kaliyah Dillard are also gone.
Rylei Waugh averaged 10.5 points in eight games, and a full season from her would help a great deal. Gabriela Pato averaged 4.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks; Carla Fuster averaged 3.5 points; and Amelie Sitterud averaged 2.0.
Chatterton went to the portal again. Sydnie Rodriguez started 20 games at Seattle U, averaging 6.0 points and 5.1 rebounds, and Kayla Lorenz averaged 5.3 points at UTRGV and shot 39 percent from three. Natalija Grizelj comes from San Diego State, Cristina Sánchez Cerqueira from Arkansas, Isa Hämäläinen from Colorado, and Maleyni Tolliver from Moorpark College. Tamar Bargal, a senior forward, joins from Elitzur Ramla in Israel. The freshmen are Erika Mace, Alyssa Rudd, and Eve Blagrove.
I have San Jose State last because the Spartans won four games and lost four of their top five scorers. Rodriguez and Lorenz both started or scored at their previous schools, and Waugh can score when she is on the floor. That will not be enough to lift the Spartans out of last place. A handful more league wins would still count as progress.
Players to watch: Rylei Waugh, Sydnie Rodriguez, Kayla Lorenz, Gabriela Pato
Mountain West Round-Up
UNLV enters as the favorite, with Grand Canyon and Hawai’i close behind. The middle of the league, New Mexico, UC Davis, Air Force, and Wyoming, could finish in almost any order. Nevada, UTEP, and San Jose State make up the bottom three for me, and three programs, Nevada, New Mexico, and Hawai’i, are starting with new head coaches.
Editor’s Note: Records and conference standings reflect the final 2025-26 Mountain West regular season and postseason. Player stats reflect 2025-26 production, unless noted. All 10 rosters have been confirmed against official, live 2026-27 team pages as of October 19th. Coaching and roster notes reflect known offseason moves as of October 19th. Roster additions may shift rosters before the season opens in November and may affect the order as of this writing.
