Samford finished sixth in the SoCon at 6-8, then beat Wofford, ETSU, and Chattanooga on the road to win the tournament and take the league’s NCAA Tournament bid. Those three teams shared the regular-season title at 10-4, and two lost their best players. The league adds Tennessee Tech from the Ohio Valley, loses its Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, and has a new favorite in Furman, which returns more scoring than any other team.
The Big Picture
The SoCon grows to nine teams with Tennessee Tech’s arrival, and all nine head coaches return. Matt Wise at Samford is the only coach entering a second year; Deandra Schirmer at Chattanooga, Michelle Clark-Heard at Mercer, and Jonathan Tsipis at Western Carolina are each in their third, and Pierre Curtis at Furman is in his fourth. Brenda Mock Brown at ETSU was the Coach of the Year, and Kim Rosamond, Trina Patterson, and Jimmy Garrity have each been in place for a decade or more.
The league lost a lot of its best players. Caia Elisaldez, the Player of the Year, and Gianna Corbitt, a first-team All-SoCon forward who transferred to Miami, are gone from Chattanooga. Queen Ikhiuwu, another first-team forward, left Wofford for Rhode Island, and ETSU lost Anala Nelson and Meghan Downing, the Defensive Player of the Year. Furman is my pick to win the league, with Clare Coyle and Alyssa Ervin, the first-team and second-team All-SoCon selections, both back along with three more of the Paladins’ top six scorers. Wofford has Gabby Mundy, the Freshman of the Year, and ETSU added a transfer who averaged double figures in the Ohio Valley. Samford, Chattanooga, and Tennessee Tech make up the middle, and the bottom comes down to which team can find anything among all the new players.
Skim Milkey’s Predicted 2026-27 Order of Finish
1 - Furman
2 - Wofford
3 - ETSU
4 - Samford
5 - Chattanooga
6 - Tennessee Tech
7 - Mercer
8 - UNC Greensboro
9 - Western Carolina
Skim Milkey’s Preseason All-SoCon Team
Caelan Ellis, G, Chattanooga
Daniela López, G, ETSU
Sydney-James Desroches, F, ETSU
Alyssa Ervin, G, Furman
Clare Coyle, F, Furman
Raina McGowens, G, Furman
Abigail Holtman, G, Mercer
Briana Rivera, G, Samford
Francie Morris, G, Samford
Kaylee Yarbrough, G, Samford
Karson Martin, G, Tennessee Tech
LaReesha Cawthorn, F, Tennessee Tech
Ally Hollifield, G, Western Carolina
Gabby Mundy, G, Wofford
Maddie Heiss, G, Wofford
Furman
Record: 18-13, 9-5 SoCon (4th)
Coach: Pierre Curtis, 4th season, 49-45
Furman finished fourth, beat Mercer 66-45 at home in the quarterfinals, and lost 76-65 at Chattanooga in the semifinals. The 18 wins were the most of Curtis’s three seasons, up from 15 and 16, and the Paladins lost very little to get there. Chantelle Stuart, who averaged 7.8 points and 4.0 assists, is the main departure. Freshmen Brooklyn King and Channing Warren, who combined for 6.9 points, are also gone, along with Samaria Taylor, who is now at Morehead State.
Five of the six leading scorers are back. Coyle, a first-team All-SoCon forward, averaged 14.0 points and 9.3 rebounds in 34 minutes a game, and Ervin, a second-team selection, scored 13.6 points. McGowens added 8.5 points and 4.9 rebounds and started 26 games; Lauren Bailey scored 6.0 points, and Sophia Pearl scored 5.0 as a freshman. Kyraha Parnell, a forward, averaged 3.6 points and 3.6 rebounds, and Hilary Englert and Ty Berry played smaller roles.
Ciara Alexander is the key addition. She comes from Campbell, where she started 12 games and averaged 6.4 points and 5.7 rebounds, and Ava Sawi joins from Radford, where she played 17 games. The freshmen are forward Emma Briggs and guards Keegan Morris and Nariah Nelson. Asa Snyder, a senior guard who played in four games in 2024-25, did not play last season.
Furman is first because it brings back a first-team forward, a second-team guard, and most of a rotation that won 18 games, and no other team in the league is close in returning scoring. The Paladins were only fourth last year, so a title would be a jump, but Curtis is adding to a group rather than starting over. If Alexander gives him another viable forward, I think Furman will have the upper hand for the regular season title.
Players to watch: Clare Coyle, Alyssa Ervin, Raina McGowens, Ciara Alexander
Wofford
Record: 16-13, 10-4 SoCon (1st, tie)
Coach: Jimmy Garrity, 11th season, 156-140 (14th overall, 222-166)
Wofford tied for first at 10-4 but lost its first tournament game at home, 59-57, to Samford. The main loss is Ikhiuwu, a first-team All-SoCon forward who averaged 12.9 points and 7.7 rebounds. Toni Warren, who scored 7.7 points as a sophomore, transferred to Kennesaw State.
Mundy, the Freshman of the Year and a first-team selection, averaged 15.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 34 minutes a game. Maddie Heiss scored 11.2 points with 5.2 rebounds, and Molly Masingale added 8.7 points in 21 games. Elli Porter averaged 4.5 points, and Courtney Swider, a 6-4 forward, Sara Deidda, and Abby Eller round out the returning group.
Angelina Pelayo is the top transfer, a forward from UNCW who averaged 4.7 points and 4.0 rebounds in 25 games. Mearah Whitehead, a guard, comes from Jacksonville State, and Aleksandra Noworol, a forward, from College of Coastal Georgia. The freshmen are forwards Emmanuelle Broude and Sayler Lowe and guard Sienna Wolfe.
Wofford is second because three guards who started most of last season are back, and one of them was the league’s best freshman. The open question is rebounding. Ikhiuwu did a lot of that work, and the forward group will have to give Garrity something inside. With Mundy leading the backcourt, the Terriers have enough to stay in the title race.
Players to watch: Gabby Mundy, Maddie Heiss, Molly Masingale, Angelina Pelayo
ETSU
Record: 18-13, 10-4 SoCon (1st, tie)
Coach: Brenda Mock Brown, 5th season, 78-48 (13th overall, 195-185)
ETSU was the second seed in the tournament, beat UNC Greensboro 62-50 in the quarterfinals, and lost 57-48 at home to Samford in the semifinals. Brown was the Coach of the Year. Two second-team All-SoCon players are gone. Nelson averaged 11.2 points and started 26 games, and Downing, the Defensive Player of the Year, averaged 8.4 points and 8.4 rebounds. Paige Lyons, a guard who scored 3.9 points, also left.
Daniela López returns after averaging 9.1 points and 3.8 rebounds, and Carmen Richardson scored 8.4 points with 2.2 assists and started 28 games. Jaidyn Harper added 6.6 points and 3.7 rebounds, Lucy Hood scored 3.5 points, and Emmah McAmis scored 3.2 points with 2.9 rebounds. SaBreya Monsanto, Lucia France, and Yanessa Boyd played smaller roles.
Sydney-James Desroches is the major addition. She averaged 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds in 18 games at Eastern Illinois. Elsa Vadfors, a 6-5 center, comes from Kentucky. The freshmen are forwards Carleyssia Wallace and Lovely Gabriel and guard Alanna Tatum.
ETSU is third because Brown has not had a losing season in four years, and the three returning starters all played at least 25 minutes a game. The Buccaneers lost Downing’s 8.4 rebounds per game, and the guards cannot make up for that on their own. Vadfors and Desroches must provide size and rebounding. If they do, ETSU can win the league again; if they do not, third is as high as it gets.
Players to watch: Daniela López, Carmen Richardson, Sydney-James Desroches, Elsa Vadfors
Samford
Record: 16-19, 6-8 SoCon (6th, NCAA Tournament appearance)
Coach: Matt Wise, 2nd season, 16-19
Samford won the tournament as the sixth seed, beating Wofford 59-57, ETSU 57-48, and Chattanooga 72-67, all on the road, and then lost 65-53 to Southern in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament. Sierra Godbolt, who averaged 9.9 points and 3.1 assists, is the biggest loss. Emily Bowman, a 6-5 forward who averaged 5.6 points and 5.5 rebounds, along with Jada Knight and Aubrey Blankenship, also left.
Kaylee Yarbrough led the returners with 12.1 points as a freshman, and Briana Rivera scored 11.0 points and started all 32 games. Francie Morris, the Sixth Woman of the Year, added 8.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. Martha Bishop averaged 3.0 points and 4.3 rebounds, and Carla Baguda, Avary Brewer, and Sydney Martin played smaller roles.
The newcomers are all freshmen: center Kayte-Madison Bjornstad and guards Bailey Hape, Makayla Roberson, Natalie Barnes, and Paisley Binswanger.
Samford is fourth because its guards are the best part of the roster. Yarbrough and Morris were both on the All-Freshman Team, and Rivera started all 32 games, but Bowman, the 6-5 forward, is gone, and Bjornstad, a 6-2 center, is the only newcomer with size. The tournament run was great, but the 6-8 league record is why I do not trust it more. If the freshmen help inside, the Bulldogs can finish ahead of ETSU and make March look less like a surprise.
Players to watch: Kaylee Yarbrough, Briana Rivera, Francie Morris, Kayte-Madison Bjornstad
Chattanooga
Record: 20-11, 10-4 SoCon (1st, tie, WBIT appearance)
Coach: Deandra Schirmer, 3rd season, 37-26 (8th overall, 151-57)
Chattanooga was the top seed in the tournament, beat Western Carolina 66-47 and Furman 76-65 at home, and lost the final 72-67 to Samford. The Mocs then lost 75-62 at North Dakota State in the first round of the WBIT. The departures are large. Elisaldez averaged 17.1 points and 5.2 assists in 37 minutes a game, and Corbitt, a first-team selection, averaged 15.8 points and 8.6 rebounds. Kalifa Ford, who scored 7.4 points, is also gone.
Izzy McPherson, an All-Freshman Team guard who averaged 6.8 points and started 20 games, and Ava Card, who scored 6.1 points with 4.7 rebounds, are the leading returners. Falon Bedke started 28 games and averaged 2.8 points, while Sarah Owona scored 4.3 points. London Weaver, Evie Bruce, and Kami Wilson played minor roles.
Schirmer went to the portal for scoring. Caelan Ellis, a fifth-year guard, comes from Charleston Southern, where she averaged 12.7 points and started all 29 games. Gabbie Grooms comes from Georgia State, where she scored 5.2 points, and TaTianna Stovall comes from Kennesaw State, where she averaged 6.5 points and 5.6 rebounds. The freshmen are forward Aaliyah Story and guards Lydia Ledford and Sinae Hill.
The Mocs shared the regular-season title with Elisaldez and Corbitt, and neither returns, which is why I have them fifth. Ellis can replace some of those points, but no one on this roster matches Corbitt’s 8.6 rebounds. To move up, McPherson and Card need to make a jump in their third seasons. If they do, Schirmer’s team can climb back into the top three.
Players to watch: Caelan Ellis, Izzy McPherson, Ava Card, TaTianna Stovall
Tennessee Tech
Record: 15-14, 8-12 OVC (6th, tie)
Coach: Kim Rosamond, 11th season, 172-132
Tennessee Tech joins the SoCon after falling from 26 wins in 2024-25 to 15-14 and tying for sixth in the Ohio Valley. The three leading scorers are gone. Chloe Larry, who averaged 13.5 points, is at LSU; Reghan Grimes averaged 12.8 points, and Reagan Hurst averaged 11.8 points and is now at Massachusetts. Cam Mathews, who scored 7.9 points, also left.
LaReesha Cawthorn is the player to build around. As a freshman, she averaged 10.1 points and 10.3 rebounds and started 25 games. Amaya Redd scored 4.0 points with 3.4 rebounds, and Lyriq Mastin, Amaya Thomas, Maddy Newman, and Amelia Pfeiffer played smaller roles.
Rosamond rebuilt the backcourt through the portal. Karson Martin comes from Quinnipiac, where she averaged 9.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 26 games. Savannah Davis averaged 7.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 33 games at Middle Tennessee, and Morgan Sieper averaged 3.0 points in 27 games at Southern Miss. Nyjah Gibbs, a forward, comes from Walters State Community College. The freshmen are Evie Freeman, Maliyah Glasper, and Zoey Nicholas.
Tennessee Tech looks like a middle-of-the-league team on paper. Cawthorn is a double-double threat, Martin and Davis are proven guards, and a program that won 26 games two years ago should not be written off in a new league. I have the Golden Eagles sixth because the three leading scorers are gone and the team has yet to play a SoCon schedule.
Players to watch: LaReesha Cawthorn, Karson Martin, Savannah Davis, Morgan Sieper
Mercer
Record: 17-13, 7-7 SoCon (5th)
Coach: Michelle Clark-Heard, 3rd season, 25-35 (16th overall, 277-188)
Mercer went from 8-22 to 17-13, finished fifth, and lost 66-45 to Furman in the quarterfinals. Nahawa Diarra, a second-team All-SoCon guard who averaged 10.9 points and 5.2 rebounds, and Ariana Bennett, who scored 9.9 points, are both gone. Talia Kemp, who scored 6.8 points, transferred to Little Rock; Stephanie Utomi transferred to Detroit Mercy; and Rania Curry, an All-Freshman Team guard, transferred to N.C. A&T. Talia Harris is at Kent State.
Only two players return, both seniors. Abigail Holtman averaged 9.1 points and 3.6 rebounds, and Micah O’Dell scored 9.0 points and grabbed 3.2 rebounds, starting 21 games.
Clark-Heard filled the roster with transfers and freshmen. Ada Anamekwe, a fifth-year guard, comes from Brown, where she averaged 6.0 points and 4.8 rebounds, and Rachel Shropshire, a 6-3 forward, comes from Bellarmine, where she averaged 4.7 points and 3.4 rebounds. Jah’Naesia Spiers comes from Memphis, where she played 27 games, and Ariadna Pastor Gusta and Kimora Jenkins arrive from Otero College and Arizona Western. The freshmen are guards Avani Tella and Maliyah Lofton and forwards Jala Wilson, Kaylen Kenney, and Vicky Ubi Okoi. Sophomore guard Anaiah White was on last year’s roster but did not play.
Clark-Heard has rebuilt before, but she is working with a nearly new roster again, and most of the group that made the nine-win jump has left. Holtman and O’Dell give Mercer two proven scorers, and the transfers have to supply the rest. Anamekwe and Shropshire will decide whether seventh looks like the floor or the ceiling for this group.
Players to watch: Abigail Holtman, Micah O’Dell, Ada Anamekwe, Rachel Shropshire
UNC Greensboro
Record: 14-16, 4-10 SoCon (7th)
Coach: Trina Patterson, 11th season, 160-145 (28th overall, 343-445)
UNC Greensboro went 4-10 in the league and lost 62-50 at ETSU in the quarterfinals, one year after a 25-7 season. All five starters are gone. Jeni Levine, a second-team All-SoCon guard, averaged 13.5 points; Makiah Asidanya averaged 10.9 points and is now at UC Irvine; and Jaila Lee scored 9.0 points. Tasia Johnson scored 6.3 points, and Rylan Moffitt averaged 5.8 points and 7.2 rebounds.
Four players returned, and none were rotation starters. Leyla Minor averaged 3.5 points and 2.3 rebounds, Kristina Rakotobe scored 2.3 points, and Joelle Davis and Salimata Traore played 12 games each.
Patterson has rebuilt through the freshman class. Savannah Robinson-Holmes comes from Georgia State, where she scored 2.6 points in 27 games, and Gloria Tony comes from Panola College. The freshmen are forwards Amy Jakpa, Clara Felix, Laneigh Scales, and Tiarna Chambers-Desmond and guards Kyla Cantey, Marina Kusanovic, Rose Simpson, and Sydney Murphy. Junior guard Nina Stavrov is also a newcomer.
UNC Greensboro is one of the league’s two biggest rebuilds. Patterson won 25 games in 2024-25, so I would not rule out a better year, but there are almost no proven players. The Spartans need a freshman or transfer to emerge as a lead scorer, and until one does, they will stay in eighth.
Players to watch: Leyla Minor, Savannah Robinson-Holmes, Gloria Tony, Kristina Rakotobe
Western Carolina
Record: 3-26, 0-14 SoCon (8th)
Coach: Jonathan Tsipis, 3rd season, 16-43 (12th overall, 158-180)
Western Carolina lost every league game, then lost 66-47 at Chattanooga in the quarterfinals. Its only three wins came against Virginia Lynchburg, Tusculum, and Montreat, none of which were Division I. Taj Hunter, who averaged 9.8 points, is at Jackson State; Grace Pack averaged 8.2 points; and Ary Dizon averaged 7.7 points and started all 25 games she played. Betsey Burnett scored 6.6 points, and Kehinde Obasuyi is at New Orleans.
Ally Hollifield is the one proven player. She averaged 11.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 35 minutes a game and started all 26 games. Guard Ellie Richardson scored 10 points in her one game. As a freshman, Tina Bowers scored 5.0 points and started 17 games; Justice Zimmerman and Riley Price, both forwards, scored 1.4 and 0.9 points, respectively. Sophomore forward Ellie Fyans was on the roster but did not play.
Tsipis added two transfers with Division I experience. Kate Hollifield is a graduate guard from UNCW, where she averaged 6.0 points in eight games, and Kayla Mount, a 6-1 center, comes from Chicago State, where she scored 6.6 points with 4.2 rebounds in 32 games. The freshmen are guards Ava Jarrett, Camri Hobbs, Hannah Moss, and My’Asia Young. Finley Van Bree, a junior guard, is also a newcomer.
Tsipis has won 16 games in two seasons at Western Carolina, and Ally Hollifield is the only scorer who has carried a load in this league. Mount gives the Catamounts a real option inside, and Bowers has 17 starts behind her, but Ellie Richardson played one game last year, and the freshmen are untested. Until that changes, I have the Catamounts ninth.
Players to watch: Ally Hollifield, Kayla Mount, Kate Hollifield, Ellie Richardson
SoCon Round-Up
Furman, Wofford, and ETSU look like the strongest teams on paper. Furman has the most returning production, Wofford has the Freshman of the Year, and ETSU has the Coach of the Year and a transfer who has scored in double figures. Samford and Chattanooga are the hardest teams to place: one is a tournament champion that finished sixth in the league, and the other is a regular-season co-champion that lost its two best players.
Tennessee Tech brings a star forward and two Division I guards, while Mercer, UNC Greensboro, and Western Carolina are all trying to build from rosters with almost no returning players. The bottom three have little in common beyond that. Mercer has two proven scorers and a deep group of transfers, UNC Greensboro has eight freshmen and no returning starter, and Western Carolina has one proven scorer coming off a 3-26 season. The top of the league was crowded last year, with three teams tied for first at 10-4 and a sixth-place team winning the tournament. With so many All-SoCon players leaving and a new team in the league, I expect another tight race at the top and a drop after the first six.
Editor’s Note: Records and conference standings reflect the final 2025-26 SoCon regular season and postseason. Player stats reflect 2025-26 production, unless noted. All nine rosters have been confirmed against official, live 2026-27 team pages as of October 25th. Coaching and roster notes reflect known offseason moves as of October 25th. Roster additions may shift rosters before the season opens in November and may affect the order as of this writing.
