Women's Basketball | 11/4/2025 1:00:00 PM
TRAFFORD, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - With Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) women's basketball beginning divisional play this season, defending champion Washington & Jefferson College was tapped as the favorite in the South Division and Allegheny College was predicted to win the North Division when the annual preseason coaches' poll, as well as the Players to Watch list, were released Tuesday afternoon.
With Hiram College returning this season after playing in the North Coast Athletic Conference for the last 26 years, the PAC splits to two six-team divisions. Each team will play 16 games in the regular season against conference foes, with programs playing their divisional opponents twice and teams from the opposite division one time each.
The PAC Tournament will also expand this year, as eight teams, the top four from each division, qualify for the conference playoffs. The tournament gets underway on Tuesday, Feb. 24th with the top two seeds from each division hosting quarterfinal matches. Semifinal matches will be played Thursday, Feb. 26th and the PAC Championship Game is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 28th, with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. All PAC Tournament match-ups will be played at campus sites. For a full breakdown of the new PAC Tournament format, check the PAC Championships page.
W&J and 22nd-year head coach Jina DeRubbo collected 10 first-place votes and finished with 65 points to earn the top position in the South Division poll. The Presidents went 24-5 a season ago, earned their seventh PAC Championship and then defeated Messiah University in overtime in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the initial NCAA win in program history, before falling to Ohio Wesleyan University in the second round. DeRubbo was named PAC Coach of the Year following the season for the fourth consecutive year and 11th time overall.
Coming in second in the South Division polling was Chatham University. The Cougars, who won the 2024 PAC title and have played in the conference championship game three straight years, had two first-place votes and 57 points. Bethany College ranked third with 40 points, followed by Saint Vincent College (36), Waynesburg University (32) and Franciscan University (16).
Pacing the North Division with 11 first-place votes and 66 total points was Allegheny, led by fifth-year head coach Kelly Muffley. The Gators earned the second seed for the PAC Tournament after posting a 17-3 regular season conference record. After dropping a PAC semifinal contest against Chatham, Allegheny earned a bid to the ECAC Tournament, where they defeated Penn State Behrend, McDaniel and William Paterson to win their first-ever ECAC title and second in Allegheny history (volleyball-2023). The Gators finished the season 21-8 overall, their first 20-win season since 2000-01.
Grove City College was voted second in the North Division with the final first-place vote and 54 points. Third place went to Geneva College with 42 points, with Westminster College coming in fourth (34), Hiram College in fifth (32) and Thiel College (18). This marks the first year Hiram has played in the PAC since 1988-89 when they finished 12-11 overall and 5-7 in the league.
Ten all-conference players from last year highlight this season's Players to Watch list, including a pair of First Team All-PAC selections and Allegheny sophomore guard Isabella Antonacci, the 2025 PAC Newcomer of the Year and an Honorable Mention all-conference selection from last year.
One First Team All-PAC player back on the floor for defending champion W&J is their leading scorer from last year in senior Stellanie Loutsion. In earning her second all-conference honor and initial First Team award, Loutsion ranked sixth in the PAC in scoring with an average of 12.7 points per game while also ranking second in the league in free throw percentage at 83.7. In addition, she ranked 11th in blocked shots (21) and 13th in assists (66).
Also returning from a first team all-conference season is Allegheny senior Sarah Santicola. Like Loutsion, she picked up her second All-PAC award last year and was a First Team selection for the first time. The 6'2" forward/center averaged a double-double with 12.2 points (ninth in the PAC) and 11.1 rebounds (second) per game, while also leading the conference with 2.1 blocks a contest.
While Santicola headlines the Gator frontcourt, Antonacci established herself as a top guard in the conference after winning the PAC Newcomer accolade. She earned it after ranking first with 135 assists and 4.7 assists per game and in addition to her passing, Antonacci also ranked 13th in the PAC in scoring (11.8), 10th in rebounding (7.2) and three-pointers (46) while contributing 34 steals.
The Players to Watch list also includes 27 members of the Spring 2025 PAC Academic Honor Roll, which recognizes student-athletes on varsity sports teams who earned a grade-point average (GPA) of 3.6 or higher on a 4.0 scale during their semester of competition.
This year's championship tournament winner will receive the league's automatic qualifying bid to the Division III Championship. Team selections for the Division III Championship are scheduled to be announced Monday, March 2, with first and second round matchups scheduled for Friday-Saturday, March 6-7.
| 2025-26 PAC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll (North Division) |
| School (first-place votes) |
Points |
2024-25 record (conference) |
| 1. Allegheny College (11) |
66 |
21-8 (17-3 PAC) |
| 2. Grove City College (1) |
54 |
16-11 (13-7 PAC) |
| 3. Geneva College |
42 |
11-14 (8-12 PAC) |
| 4. Westminster College |
34 |
4-21 (4-16 PAC) |
| 5. Hiram College |
32 |
12-15 (4-10 NCAC) |
| 6. Thiel College |
18 |
0-25 (0-20 PAC) |
| 2025-26 PAC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll (South Division) |
| School (first-place votes) |
Points |
2024-25 record (conference) |
| 1. Washington & Jefferson College (10) |
65 |
24-5 (18-2 PAC) |
| 2. Chatham University (2) |
57 |
21-6 (17-3 PAC) |
| 3. Bethany College |
40 |
13-13 (10-10 PAC) |
| 4. Saint Vincent College |
36 |
13-13 (12-8 PAC) |
| 5. Waynesburg University |
32 |
14-11 (9-11 PAC) |
| 6. Franciscan University |
16 |
2-23 (2-18 PAC) |
2025-26 PAC Women's Basketball Players to Watch
1 = 2024-25 First Team All-PAC / 2 = Second Team / HM = Honorable Mention
| Allegheny |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Isabella Antonacci (HM) |
So. |
G |
5-7 |
Indiana, Pa./Indiana Area |
| Jess Bickart (HM) |
Sr. |
G |
5-8 |
Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley |
| Ava Kobus |
So. |
G/F |
6-0 |
Pittsburgh, Pa./Norwin |
| Sarah Santicola (1) |
Sr. |
F/C |
6-2 |
Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area |
| Bethany |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Lindsey Best |
Fr. |
G |
5-8 |
Rayland, Ohio/Martins Ferry |
| Lindsey Garrison (2) |
Gr. |
G |
5-7 |
Triadelphia, W.Va./Wheeling Park |
| Kaedlee Potter |
Jr. |
F |
6-1 |
Barboursville, W.Va./Cabell Midland |
| Ella Simpson |
So. |
G |
5-7 |
Morgantown, W.Va./University |
| Chatham |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Maria Barela |
Sr. |
G |
5-7 |
Albuquerque, N.M./Maine Maritime Academy |
| Julia Calvin |
Sr. |
G |
5-8 |
Portland, Ore./Cal Poly Humboldt |
| Hannah Chenault (HM) |
Sr. |
G |
5-10 |
East Berlin, Pa./Bermudian Springs |
| Alyssa Laukus |
Sr. |
F |
6-0 |
Irwin, Pa./Norwin |
| Madison Nereu |
Sr. |
F |
5-10 |
Cary, N.C./Roanoke College |
| Franciscan |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Emma Clow |
Sr. |
G |
5-4 |
Vista, Calif./St. Joseph Academy |
| Maria McCallen (HM) |
Jr. |
F |
6-0 |
Springfield, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara |
| Jazzlyn Melnyk |
Gr. |
G |
5-8 |
Weirton, W.Va./Madonna |
| Caroline Reedy |
Sr. |
G |
5-8 |
Bernville, Pa./Berks Catholic |
| Megdalen Simon |
Fr. |
G |
5-9 |
Fitchburg, Wis./St. Ambrose Academy |
| Geneva |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Alexandra Cozzens |
So. |
F |
5-11 |
North East, Pa./North East |
| Emily Garvin (2) |
Sr. |
G |
5-6 |
Danville, Pa./Northumberland Christian |
| Destanie McCullough |
So. |
G |
5-8 |
Canfield, Ohio/Austintown Fitch |
| Anna Ulmer |
Sr. |
F |
6-2 |
Milton, Pa./Northumberland Christian |
| Grove City |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Reese Hasley |
Sr. |
G |
5-5 |
Cheswick, Pa./Deer Lakes |
| Alexis Hudson |
So. |
F |
5-9 |
Watsontown, Pa./Warrior Run |
| Alexa McDole |
Jr. |
G |
5-4 |
Evans City, Pa./Mars |
| Meredith Sherrerd |
Sr. |
F |
5-11 |
New Braunfels, Texas/New Braunfels |
| Bethany Thompson |
Jr. |
G |
5-7 |
Exeter Township, Pa./High Point Baptist |
| Hiram |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Bella Caceres |
So. |
G |
5-6 |
Cypress, Calif/Cypress |
| Maya Joiner |
So. |
F |
5-9 |
Canton, Mich./Canton |
| Sarah Seaman |
Sr. |
G |
5-7 |
Garrettsville, Ohio/Fredonia |
| Saint Vincent |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Camdon Bashor |
Sr. |
C |
6-2 |
Polk, Pa./Franklin |
| Reese Gadsby |
Sr. |
G |
5-8 |
Mercer, Pa./Lakeview |
| Makenna Maier (2) |
Sr. |
G/F |
5-10 |
Butler, Pa./Butler |
| Danielle Pontius |
Jr. |
G |
5-5 |
New Castle, Pa./Laurel |
| Thiel |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Emily Betsinger |
Fr. |
C |
5-10 |
Indiana, Pa./Indiana |
| Issy Green |
So |
G |
5-9 |
Slippery Rock, Pa./Portersville Christian |
| Kayley Risser |
So. |
F |
5-8 |
Reynolds, Pa./DuBois Central Catholic |
| Kelsey Wagner |
Fr. |
G |
5-7 |
Sherman, N.Y./Sherman |
| W&J |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Riley DeRubbo |
Gr. |
G |
5-9 |
Washington, Pa./Trinity |
| Katie Kovalchick (HM) |
Jr. |
C |
6-3 |
Indiana, Pa./Indiana Area |
| Stellanie Loutsion (1) |
Sr. |
G |
5-10 |
Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan |
| Waynesburg |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Kalista Friday (HM) |
Sr. |
G |
5-2 |
Woodsfield, Ohio/Monroe Central |
| Mia Henkins |
Jr. |
G |
5-3 |
Morgantown, W.Va./Morgantown |
| Macie Justice |
So. |
G |
5-7 |
Washington, Pa./Trinity |
| Kara McFadden |
Jr. |
G |
5-3 |
Painsville, Ohio/Fairport Harding |
| Julz Mohrbacher |
Jr. |
F |
5-10 |
Freedom, Pa./Freedom |
| Westminster |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown/High School |
| Kennedy Arison |
Jr. |
G |
5-4 |
Medina, Ohio/Akron Hoban |
| Grace Cano |
Jr. |
F |
5-11 |
Greenville, Pa./Greenville |
| Katie Grexa |
So. |
G/F |
5-9 |
Hartford, Ohio/Badger |
| Maddie Syka |
So. |
G |
5-7 |
Darlington, Pa./Lincoln Park |