This is a different West Coast Conference. Gonzaga is in the Pac-12 now, Oregon State and Washington State went back there too, and Denver joined from the Summit League, which leaves 10 teams. UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara arrive in 2027-28. Only two teams have new coaches: Erik Johnson is back at Denver, where he coached from 2008 to 2012, and John Bonner came to Seattle U from Cal State Fullerton. Seattle U changed the most, with one returner and 13 newcomers. At the other end, Santa Clara returns six of its seven leading scorers, and Portland returns seven of its eight.
The Big Picture
Loyola Marymount won the regular season at 15-3, ahead of Gonzaga at 14-4, and Santa Clara and Oregon State tied for third at 13-5. Portland finished fifth at 11-7, Pepperdine sixth at 10-8, and San Francisco seventh at 9-9. Pacific, Saint Mary’s, and Washington State tied for eighth at 6-12, San Diego was 11th at 4-14, and Seattle U was 12th at 1-17. Gonzaga beat Oregon State 76-66 in the conference tournament final. Oregon State beat Loyola Marymount 73-67 in the semifinals, and Gonzaga beat Santa Clara 88-60. Gonzaga was the only WCC team in the NCAA Tournament. Loyola Marymount and Santa Clara played in the WBIT, and Pepperdine, Portland, and San Francisco played in the WNIT. Denver finished sixth in the Summit League at 5-11.
Six of the 15 players on the first and second All-WCC teams are back. The first-team selections are Candy Edokpaigbe of San Francisco, Elli Guiney of Pepperdine, Maya Hernandez of Loyola Marymount, and Maia Jones of Santa Clara, and the second-team selections are Dyani Ananiev of Portland and Kylie Ray of San Diego. Gonzaga’s Lauren Whittaker, the Player of the Year, and Allie Turner; Oregon State’s Kennedie Shuler, Jenna Villa, and Tiara Bolden; and Washington State’s Eleonora Villa are with teams that now play in the Pac-12. Loyola Marymount’s Jess Lawson, the Newcomer of the Year, Loyola Marymount’s Andjela Matic, and Santa Clara’s Ashley Hawkins are gone. Roughly 72 of the 136 players on the 10 rosters are newcomers. I have Portland winning it, with Santa Clara and San Francisco behind. Portland brings almost everyone back. Santa Clara keeps most of its scoring but lost transfer Joana Magalhaes, who suffered an injury and is out for the season, and San Francisco added two proven transfers around its best player.
Skim Milkey’s Predicted 2026-27 Order of Finish
1 - Portland
2 - Santa Clara
3 - San Francisco
4 - Loyola Marymount
5 - Pepperdine
6 - San Diego
7 - Pacific
8 - Saint Mary’s
9 - Seattle U
10 - Denver
Skim Milkey’s Preseason All-WCC Team
Danae Powell, G, Loyola Marymount
Janay Brantley, G, Loyola Marymount
Maya Hernandez, F, Loyola Marymount
Daria Nestorov, G, Pacific
Elli Guiney, G, Pepperdine
Lina Falk, G, Pepperdine
Dyani Ananiev, G, Portland
Florence Dallow, G, Portland
Kylie Ray, G, San Diego
Candy Edokpaigbe, G, San Francisco
Lucia Yenes, F, San Francisco
Ava Schmidt, F, Santa Clara
Maia Jones, G, Santa Clara
Sophie Glancey, F, Santa Clara
Cristina Jones, F, Seattle U
Portland
Record: 20-15, 11-7 West Coast (5th, WNIT appearance)
Coach: Michael Meek, 8th season, 150-77 (17th overall, 380-112)
Portland went 11-7 in league play for fifth place, beat Washington State 72-62 in the third round of the conference tournament, and lost 60-50 to Oregon State in the quarterfinals. In the WNIT, the Pilots beat Sam Houston 62-59, beat Lamar 78-68 at Lamar, and lost 72-54 at Montana State in the third round. Nicole Anderson, a senior guard who averaged 8.2 points, is gone, along with Natalie Fraley.
Portland returns 11 players, and its top four scorers are all among them. Dyani Ananiev, a senior guard and second-team All-WCC selection, scored 11.6 points and started 29 games. Lainey Spear, a senior forward, scored 9.8 points; Florence Dallow, a fifth-year guard and honorable mention selection, scored 9.7 points; and Rhyan Mogel, a senior guard, scored 9.2 points. All three started every game they played. Julia Dalan, a sophomore center and All-Freshman Team selection, scored 6.6 points and started 17 games. Tiffany Barbosa, Jada Kennedy, Ella Zimmerman, Brynn Smith, Aubrey Herrin, and Caitlin Monahan also return.
Goundo Diakite Bayo, a sophomore forward who did not play last season, joins four freshmen: Carly Gonzalez, Maddie Angus, Pahlyss Hokianga, and Sara Mangan.
Portland is first because almost everyone came back. Four players scored at least 9.2 points, and nobody scored more than 11.6, so this is a team of good players and not one great one. That is fine with me. I would rather bet on a group that already knows each other than on anything else when it comes down to it.
Players to watch: Dyani Ananiev, Florence Dallow, Lainey Spear, Rhyan Mogel
Santa Clara
Record: 24-10, 13-5 West Coast (3rd, tie, WBIT appearance)
Coach: Loree Payne, 2nd season, 24-10 (17th overall, 290-184)
Santa Clara tied Oregon State for third at 13-5, beat San Francisco 87-69 in the conference tournament quarterfinals, and lost 88-60 to Gonzaga in the semifinals. The Broncos then lost 72-68 at California in the first round of the WBIT. Ashley Hawkins, a senior guard and first-team All-WCC selection who averaged 13.7 points and 6.2 assists, is gone, along with Alana Goodchild, Sienna Grieger, and Lauren Grover.
Santa Clara brings back eight players, starting with Maia Jones, a graduate guard and first-team All-WCC selection who scored 14.8 points and started all 32 games. Sophie Glancey, a fifth-year forward, scored 14.8 points and grabbed 7.1 rebounds in 17 games, and Ava Schmidt, a senior forward and honorable mention selection, scored 12.3 points. Kylee Fox, a senior guard, scored 8.6 points and started all 32 games. Delainey Miller, a sophomore guard and All-Freshman Team selection, scored 7.8 points, and Aniya Hooker, a junior guard, scored 6.1 points. Kate Schat and Tyler Gildersleeve-Stiles also return.
Joana Magalhaes, a junior guard from New Mexico, scored 8.7 points and started 28 games, but she suffered an injury and is out for the season. Emma Najjuma, a senior center, also comes from New Mexico, and Reilly Clark, a junior guard, arrives from Northern Arizona. Sophomore guard Sara Schmerbach and freshman guards Brooke Blachly and Quinsey Bryan also join the team.
Santa Clara has Jones, Glancey, and Schmidt, and no other team has three returners who scored at least 12.3 points. The problem is the ball. Hawkins ran the offense, Magalhaes was supposed to take over, and now she is out for the season. Fox, Miller, and Hooker have to figure it out, and if they do, Santa Clara could easily win the league.
Players to watch: Maia Jones, Sophie Glancey, Ava Schmidt, Delainey Miller
San Francisco
Record: 19-15, 9-9 West Coast (7th, WNIT appearance)
Coach: Molly Goodenbour, 11th season, 153-158 (24th overall, 395-300)
A 9-9 league record put San Francisco seventh. The Dons beat San Diego 61-52 and Pepperdine 86-69 in the conference tournament and lost 87-69 to Santa Clara in the quarterfinals. They then beat Utah Valley 80-50 in the first round of the WNIT and lost 69-53 at Montana State in the second. Mara Neira, a senior guard who averaged 9.1 points, is gone, along with Meghan McIntyre, Sol Castro, Olivia Williams, Nevaeh Ferrara Horne, Amy Pateman, and Sophia Priestley. Michelle Ugwah left for Eastern Kentucky.
Five players are back, led by Candy Edokpaigbe, a junior guard and first-team All-WCC selection who scored 18.0 points and started all 33 games. Aina Cargol, a sophomore guard and All-Freshman Team selection, scored 9.6 points and started all 33 games, and Nataša Taušová, a sophomore forward, scored 7.6 points and started 29 games. Noelia Mouriño, a sophomore forward, scored 7.0 points and started all 33 games. Paula Tirado, a redshirt junior guard, scored 5.7 points in 18 games.
Keiryn McGuff, a senior guard/forward from Akron, scored 9.5 points, and Lucia Yenes, a graduate forward from New Mexico State, scored 12.3 points. Sophomore guard Jayda Queeley arrives from Pittsburgh. Junior guard Ines Babaya comes from Salt Lake Community College, and junior guard Savi Mi comes from Dodge City Community College. The freshmen are Belize Ibáñez Mengüç, Emilie Beggs, and Maria Burliga.
San Francisco is third because Edokpaigbe is no longer alone. McGuff and Yenes each scored at least 9.5 points at their last schools, and Cargol, Taušová, and Mouriño started almost every game last season. Eight newcomers is a lot to blend, and that is the only reason I do not have the Dons higher.
Players to watch: Candy Edokpaigbe, Lucia Yenes, Aina Cargol, Keiryn McGuff
Loyola Marymount
Record: 21-10, 15-3 West Coast (1st, WBIT appearance)
Coach: Aarika Hughes, 6th season, 64-87
Loyola Marymount won the regular season at 15-3, then lost 73-67 to Oregon State in the conference tournament semifinals. The Lions lost 80-76 at Stanford in the first round of the WBIT. Aarika Hughes was named WCC Coach of the Year. Jess Lawson, a senior guard who averaged 15.2 points and 8.4 rebounds, is gone. She was a first-team All-WCC selection and the Newcomer of the Year. Andjela Matic, a senior guard and second-team selection who averaged 10.2 points, is also gone. Carly Heidger, a senior guard who averaged 7.9 points, and Paula Reus Piza, a senior forward who averaged 5.4 points, are also gone, and Zawadi Ogot left for Fresno State.
Seven players return, led by Maya Hernandez, a senior forward and first-team All-WCC selection who scored 14.5 points and started in 29 games. Ivana Krajina, a graduate guard, scored 6.0 points and started in 30 games. Allison Clarke, Kayla Jones, Ana Milanovic, Mari Somvichian, and Lova Lagerlid also return.
Janay Brantley, a senior guard from Stony Brook, scored 12.2 points and started 22 games, and Danae Powell, a junior guard from Fresno State, scored 12.1 points and started all 32 games. Shawnee Nordstrom, a junior guard from California Baptist, scored 8.7 points and started 23 games. Sarah Deng, a senior guard, comes from Florida. Ali’a Matavao, a redshirt junior forward, arrives from BYU, and Erica Finney, a redshirt freshman guard, arrives from Illinois. Shanayka Ismar is the lone freshman.
Loyola Marymount lost 25.4 points when Lawson and Matic left, and Hernandez is the only returner who scored more than 6.0. Brantley and Powell each scored more than 12.0 points at their last schools, so the points should be there. The question is whether three new guards can share the ball. I have the Lions fourth, but I would not be shocked by second or seventh.
Players to watch: Maya Hernandez, Janay Brantley, Danae Powell, Shawnee Nordstrom
Pepperdine
Record: 21-13, 10-8 West Coast (6th, WNIT appearance)
Coach: Katie Faulkner, 3rd season, 29-35
Pepperdine went 10-8 in league play and lost 86-69 to San Francisco in the third round of the conference tournament. The WNIT went better. The Waves beat UC Davis 71-68 and Southern Utah 85-80, then lost 73-57 at South Dakota in the third round. Meghan Fiso, a senior guard and honorable mention All-WCC selection who averaged 10.9 points, is gone. Shorna Preston, a junior forward who averaged 7.2 points and 8.3 rebounds, left for FIU, and Bella Green, a senior guard who averaged 6.3 points, is gone along with Ivory Finley and Irune Orio.
Pepperdine keeps seven players, starting with Elli Guiney, a junior guard and first-team All-WCC selection who scored 15.0 points and started all 32 games. Lina Falk, a senior guard and honorable mention selection, scored 11.9 points and started 26 of 28 games, and Taija Sta. Maria, a senior guard, scored 7.4 points and started all 32 games. Seleh Harmon, a sophomore guard, scored 6.4 points. Zoe Shanahan, Ilinca Belegante, and Quinn VanSickle also return.
Keandra Koorits, a junior guard from Washington State, scored 6.7 points. Maggie Mendelson, a graduate center, comes from Penn State after starting her career at Nebraska. Evelyn Martyn, Freya Bijkerk, and Landrie Callahan are freshmen.
Pepperdine is fifth, and the guards are the reason. Guiney, Falk, Sta. Maria, and Harmon all scored at least 6.4 points. Inside is another story. Preston’s 8.3 rebounds are gone, and Mendelson is the only post transfer. If she and the freshmen hold up, fifth is too low.
Players to watch: Elli Guiney, Lina Falk, Taija Sta. Maria, Keandra Koorits
San Diego
Record: 11-22, 4-14 West Coast (11th)
Coach: Blanche Alverson, 2nd season, 11-22
San Diego went 4-14 in league play and finished 11th. The Toreros beat Saint Mary’s 66-62 in the first round of the conference tournament and lost 61-52 to San Francisco in the second round. Hallie Rhodes, a senior guard who averaged 10.8 points, is gone, along with Jayden Rhodes and Erica Carr. Helen Holley left for Ball State, Dresha Moore left for Cal State Bakersfield, Malia Tharpe left for FIU, and Ysabella Von Seipler left for Cal Poly.
The Toreros keep six players, led by Kylie Ray, a junior guard and second-team All-WCC selection who scored 16.4 points. Olivia Owens, a sophomore guard and All-Freshman Team selection, scored 11.5 points and started 28 games. Eva Ruse, a junior forward, scored 5.4 points, while Ayla Williams, Jessica Ajayi, and Lilly Amor also return.
San Diego adds seven newcomers. Braelynn Barnett, a sophomore forward, comes from Georgetown; Kiera Pemberton, a senior forward, comes from Baylor; and Sammie Wagner, a graduate forward, comes from Oregon. Lauren McCall, a graduate guard, and Ryanne Bahnsen-Price, a sophomore forward, are also new, and Kate Danner and Rosalie Esser are freshmen.
San Diego has Ray and Owens, and then it gets thin. Ruse scored 5.4 points, and none of the three Division I transfers started a game last season. Somebody else has to score, or San Diego will be sixth place at best.
Players to watch: Kylie Ray, Olivia Owens, Eva Ruse, Sammie Wagner
Pacific
Record: 11-19, 6-12 West Coast (8th, tie)
Coach: Bradley Davis, 12th season, 151-186
Pacific tied for eighth at 6-12 and lost 82-76 to Washington State in the second round of the conference tournament. Winner Bartholomew, a sophomore forward and honorable mention All-WCC selection who averaged 13.2 points, left for Georgetown, and Sydney Ward, a senior guard and honorable mention selection who averaged 11.4 points, is gone. Nyah Lowery, a junior guard who averaged 5.5 points, left for DePaul. Luisa Anderegg, Hannah Burg, Mali Ennis, Kenlee Durrill, and Tyla Fautua are also gone.
Six players are back, led by Daria Nestorov, a junior guard who scored 10.4 points and started all 29 games. Sophia Mindermann, a sophomore guard, scored 8.8 points and started 13 of 29 games. Stella Szabo, Marina Radocaj, Liv Yergensen, and LaMiracle Lebon also return.
Victoria Rivera, a graduate guard from Georgetown, scored 9.4 points and started all nine games she played. JoJo Nworie, a graduate center, arrives from Colorado, and Yana Karamfilova, a junior forward, arrives from South Florida. The freshmen are Bella Burcar, Jordyn Dyer, Mia Jamias, Payton Montgomery, and Sofia Locati.
Pacific lost its two leading scorers, and that is what I keep thinking about. Bartholomew averaged 13.2 points, and Ward averaged 11.4. Nestorov and Mindermann are the only returners who scored more than 5.0. Rivera scored 9.4 points in nine games at Georgetown, so she can cover one of those spots. I am unsure who will cover the rest of the points, which is why the Tigers are seventh.
Players to watch: Daria Nestorov, Sophia Mindermann, Victoria Rivera, Yana Karamfilova
Saint Mary’s
Record: 15-17, 6-12 West Coast (8th, tie)
Coach: Jeff Cammon, 4th season, 42-52 (10th overall, 126-142)
Saint Mary’s also tied for eighth at 6-12, then lost 66-62 to San Diego in the first round of the conference tournament. Sophomore forward Edie Clarke averaged 7.3 points before leaving for Clemson, and senior guard Malia Latu averaged 7.0 points before leaving. Junior guard Jada Hunter averaged 6.0 points before leaving for Fresno State. Mauriana Hashemian-Orr, Amy Kurkowski, Melesungu Afeaki, and Georgia Grigoropoulou are also gone.
Saint Mary’s has six players back, led by Abigail Shoff, a senior forward and honorable mention All-WCC selection who scored 9.9 points and started 23 games. Emily Foy, a senior guard, scored 7.8 points in 16 games, and Addi Wedin, a redshirt senior guard, scored 7.6 points and started 21 games. Charlece Ohiaeri, Coco Urlacher, and Ella Wedin also return.
Lihi Azouri, a sophomore guard from Southeastern Louisiana, scored 10.7 points as a freshman. Niveya Henley, a senior guard, comes from Idaho and is the team’s only other transfer. The seven freshmen are Agata Wlaz, Audrey Bhesania, Ave Odegard, Evelyn Tounkara, Irene Andreou, Lucy Aherne, and Nina Klep.
Saint Mary’s has four scorers and seven freshmen. Shoff, Foy, and Wedin scored between 7.6 and 9.9 points, and Azouri scored 10.7 as a freshman. Somebody has to be the fifth option, and it will likely have to be a freshman stepping up, or it will be a long year.
Players to watch: Abigail Shoff, Lihi Azouri, Addi Wedin, Emily Foy
Seattle U
Record: 5-25, 1-17 West Coast (12th)
Coach: John Bonner, 1st season, 0-0 (11th overall, 159-110)
Seattle U finished 12th at 1-17 and lost 80-58 to Washington State in the first round of the conference tournament. Skyler Young was not retained after three seasons, and Bonner arrived from Cal State Fullerton. Ella Brubaker, a senior guard and honorable mention All-WCC selection who averaged 15.8 points, is gone. So are Tamia Stricklin, a senior forward who averaged 10.7 points, and Jana Vesic, a freshman guard who averaged 8.1 points and left for New Mexico State. Andjela Bigovic averaged 7.3 points, and Sydnie Rodriguez, Lucija Milkovic, and Chloe Emanga left for San Jose State, Texas State, and FIU. Aaliyah Ibarra, Fia Proctor, and Lucy Larson are also gone.
One player is back: guard Dylan Mogel.
Cristina Jones, a forward from Cal State Fullerton, scored 16.0 points, grabbed 10.1 rebounds, and started 27 games; Bonner coached her there last season. Milana Nenadic, a forward from Valparaiso, scored 9.4 points last year, and Shelley Duchemin, a guard from UC Riverside, scored 6.7 points in three starts. Ayanna Jackson, a forward from Texas Southern, scored 5.5 points. Alanna Neale, Claire Fraser, Erin Sellers, Nari Powers, and Sophie Buzzard also come from Division I programs, and Mahliya Wilson comes from Dominican. Gabriela Escorial Ferrero, Lindsay Biddle, and Sy Simanton are the other newcomers.
Seattle U is ninth because of Cristina Jones. She scored 16.0 points and grabbed 10.1 rebounds in the Big West, where Bonner coached her. Bonner also took Cal State Dominguez Hills to the Division II national championship game in 2024-25. There is one player returning this year, and besides Mogel and Jones, I am not sure what the rotation 3-8 will look like.
Players to watch: Cristina Jones, Milana Nenadic, Shelley Duchemin, Dylan Mogel
Denver
Record: 11-19, 5-11 Summit League (6th)
Coach: Erik Johnson, 5th season, 72-52 (11th overall, 140-167)
Denver finished sixth in the Summit League at 5-11 and lost 61-50 to South Dakota in the conference tournament quarterfinals. Doshia Woods and the school parted ways in March after six seasons, and Johnson was hired in April. Sophomore guard Coryn Watts, a first-team All-Summit League selection who averaged 19.2 points, left for UC San Diego. Jocelyn Medina, a junior who averaged 7.2 points, left for Gonzaga, and freshman guard Victoria Baker, who averaged 7.1 points, is gone. Laila McLeod, Teodora Simoncevic, Paula Oliva Gomez, and Natalia Fanjul Mardones are also gone.
Seven players return, and senior guard Laia Monclova scored 8.4 points, while senior forward Brooke Murrell scored 5.8 points. Ana Conde, Karolina Padilla, Lily Esparza, Anna Rosenberger, and Lexi Pletschette also return.
Senior forward Mallory McQuietor comes from UIW. Sophomore guard Tori Baker is new, and freshman guards Emma Hart and Safiyah Sugapong are also new.
Denver has one scorer left. Watts took 19.2 points to UC San Diego, and Monclova is the only returner who scored more than 5.8. Johnson won 72 games in his first four seasons at Denver, which is the best case for patience, but this could be a tough year as he rebuilds his foundation again.
Players to watch: Laia Monclova, Brooke Murrell, Mallory McQuietor, Ana Conde
WCC Round-Up
Portland is my pick because it has the deepest group behind it, but I would not be surprised by Santa Clara or San Francisco. Santa Clara has the most scoring returning and lost Magalhaes. San Francisco has Edokpaigbe and two proven transfers. Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine could land anywhere in the middle, since Loyola Marymount lost its two best players and Pepperdine is strong at guard and thin up front.
The bottom of the league is about turnover. Saint Mary’s has seven freshmen, Seattle U has 13 newcomers and one returner, and Denver has a coach in his second stint and seven players back. A league that has lost Gonzaga, Oregon State, and Washington State will not look like last season’s standings.
Editor’s Note: Records and conference standings reflect the final 2025-26 conference 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 30th. Coaching and roster notes reflect known offseason moves as of October 30th. Roster additions may shift rosters before the season opens in November and may affect the order as of this writing.
