Women's Hoops Opens 2026-27 at Home With App State - Eastern Michigan University Athletics

Women's Basketball vs. App State \| Season Opener \| Home Opener \| MAC-SBC Challenge
Dates/Times	Monday \| Nov. 2, 2026 \| 6:30 p.m.
Venue	George Gervin GameAbove Center \| Ypsilanti, Mich.
Preview Info	EMU Notes (pdf) \| Record Book
Live Media	ESPN+ \| No Radio
Live Stats	Fans \| Media
Socials	X: @EMUWBB \| @EMUAthletics \|\| Insta: @emuwbb \| @emuathletics
Home Promos	Check Out ALL Promoitions HERE
Tickets	Season Tickets \| Flex Pack Tickets \| Single Game Tickets

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team will lift the lid on its 2026-27 campaign Monday, Nov. 2, as the Eagles will play host to the Mountaineers of Appalachian State University inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti. The game, which is part of the fourth installment of the MAC-SBC Challenge, will tip at 6:30 p.m. on Ben Braun Court with Ryan Wooley (play-by-play), Claire Dau (analyst), and Elena Davis (sideline) calling the action live on ESPN+.

OPENING TIPS
» Eastern will open its 51st varsity season with the fourth edition of the MAC-SBC Challenge by hosting App State as the MAC schools serve as hosts on opening night with the SBC schools hosting Feb. 6. EMU is 2-4 all-time in the MAC-SBC Challenge after splitting its games in 2025-26 (L, 80-71, at ULM / W, 76-73, vs. Arkansas State).
» The Eagles are 32-18 all-time in their season-opening game, but have lost three consecutive lid lifters with their last win coming Nov. 7, 2022, in a 71-56 win over Lindenwood. EMU also is 21-6 when its season-opener is played at home. Eastern is 37-13 in its first home game of the season after scoring a 64-54 win over visiting Robert Morris last year.
» The team holds an all-time record of 651-750 entering its 51st varsity season with a 346-272 record in home games, leaving the team four wins from its milestone 350th win.
» Eastern is slated to play 32 games in 2026-27 with 14 at home and 18 away, including six of its first seven games coming away from home.
» The Eagles were voted sixth in the 2026-27 MAC Preseason Coaches Poll, moving up six spots from last year's preseason ranking of 12th. Eastern finished ninth in the final regular season standings last year.
» Peyton Hill, the 2025-26 MAC Freshman of the Year, was voted to the 2026-27 Preseason All-MAC Second Team. Hill, who ranks third in the MAC among returning players this year, was the top scoring freshman in 2025-26 at 14.6 points per game.
» The EMU roster features 14 players with nine returning from last year and five newcomers, including three transfers and two freshmen. Of the 14 players, five are internationals.
» Sahar Nusseibeh is in her third year guiding the Eastern program and guided the team to an 11-win improvement last year. She has won 47 games as a head coach as well.

FIRST ROUND TIMES 2!
The season opener with App State is being promoted as the First Game, First Round, and that doesn't just apply to the contest lifting the lid on the season and the first round of play in the 2026-27 MAC-SBC Challenge. Sahar Nusseibeh will be providing the first round of beer for the first 100 students (age 21+ with a valid ID) through the doors. Those qualifying fans can stop by the marketing table to show their ID and receive a voucher for one beer on Coach!

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KNOW THE FOE: APP STATE
The Mountaineers are coming off a 2025-26 season that saw them finish 11-19 overall and 4-14 in the Sun Belt, finishing 13th in the 14-team league. App State, who was picked to finish ninth in the SBC preseason coaches poll, ranked second in the SBC in scoring defense (61.5 points per game) while also standing second in the league and 39th nationally in three-point percentage defense at 28.1 percent. Individually, two Mountaineers were recognized by the Sun Belt with preseason honors as Daisia Mitchell was named Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team and Joi Williams earned a spot on the second team.

IN THE SERIES: EASTERN vs. APP STATE
The Eagles and Mountaineers are meeting for the first time in their respective program's histories.

NEW TO THE LIST
The game between the Eagles and Mountaineers will mark the first of at least two contests this year in which Eastern will play against an opponent for the first time in program history with the other coming Dec. 29 at home when intrastate foe Davenport visits Ypsilanti. That number could grow by one during the regular season when the second round of the MAC-SBC Challenge rolls around as Eastern has never faced five current members of the Sun Belt in Coastal Carolina, Louisiana, Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion, and Troy.

FACING THE SUN BELT
App State will become the ninth current member of the Sun Belt Eastern Michigan has played in program history with the Eagles holding an 11-9 record against those eight teams with a bulk of the results, including an 8-2 record, coming against Marshall when the Thundering Herd were members of the MAC. EMU has previously played Arkansas State (1-0), Georgia Southern (0-2), Georgia State (1-1), James Madison (0-2), South Alabama (1-0), Southern Miss (0-1), and ULM (0-1).

#MACtion vs. #FunBelt
The 2026-27 MAC-SBC Challenge will mark the fourth edition of the annual event that has been hotly contested throughout as the MAC has a combined record of 38-26 with each league winning once and tying once. The SBC claimed the inaugural crown, 14-10, in 2023-24, before the MAC captured the 2024-25 edition with a 15-9 record. Last year, the leagues split the 26 games, 13-13.

MAC-SBC HISTORY
Eastern holds a record of 2-4 in the MAC-SBC Challenge and is coming off a victory in the most recent game with its 76-73 home win over visiting Arkansas State, Feb. 7, 2026. The Eagles are 2-1 when hosting its SBC foe, including an 81-69 defeat of South Alabama, Feb. 10, 2024, in the inaugural edition of the event before falling to Texas State, 75-71, in a season-opening game with Texas State, Nov. 4, 2024. Eastern will be looking to capture its first opening-round win in the MAC-SBC Challenge after dropping the previous three, including a 62-58 setback in the 2023-24 event at Georgia Southern (Nov. 11, 2023), a 55-43 loss at Georgia State, Feb. 8, 2025, and a season-opening 80-71 loss at ULM, Nov. 3, 2025.

LIFTING THE LID
Eastern Michigan stands 32-18 in its season-opening game, but has lost the last three played, including last year's 80-71 setback on the road at ULM in the MAC-SBC Challenge. The Eagles, who are 2-4 in their last six season-openers, last started the year with a victory when they defeated visiting Lindenwood, 71-56, Nov. 7, 2022. Prior to the last six game stretch, Eastern had won 10 consecutive openers and 17-of-18 dating back to an 82-67 defeat of Cornell, Nov. 16, 2001, in Ypsilanti. Overall, when the season-opening game is played at home, EMU is 21-6, but has lost its last two such games, including a 75-71 loss to Texas State, Nov. 4, 2024, in the MAC-SBC Challenge.

WELCOME HOME!
The Eagles hold a record of 37-13 in their first home contest of the year after scoring a 64-54 victory over visiting Robert Morris last year, Nov. 26, 2025. That win snapped a two-game slide and pushed EMU to 2-4 in its last six home openers. That six-game stretch opened Nov. 20, 2020, with a 66-62 loss to UIC, a defeat that snapped the Eagles' 20-game winning streak in their home openers.

CLOSING IN...
Eastern is closing in on a pair of milestone victories as it enters the 2026-27 season. As a team, the program has won 346 games at home, leaving the Eagles four wins shy of 350. Individually, three wins for the Eagles would bring Sahar Nusseibeh's career head coaching win total to 50.

ON THE SCHEDULE
The 2026-27 schedule features 32 games with EMU set to play 14 home contests and 18 away this year, including a MAC schedule that features 17 games with nine at home and eight on the road. Along with the state of Michigan, the Eagles will play games in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, and Massachusetts. That list could grow in February when the second round of the MAC-SBC Challenge schedule is released. The teams in the Sun Belt hail from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.

ROAD WARRIORS
Following the Eagles' opener at home against App State (Nov. 2), Eastern will hit the road for six consecutive road games with trips to Indiana, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania along with two games in Michigan. The six-game stretch opens Nov. 5 in West Lafayette, Ind., at Purdue before EMU heads to Moon Township, Pa., Nov. 11, to face Robert Morris. No. 15 will see the Eagles visit Lexington, Ky., to take on Kentucky before playing a 'local road game' at Oakland, Nov. 18. Eastern returns to Indiana to take on Butler in Indianapolis, Nov. 22, before playing in-state foe Michigan State No. 29. All told, eight of the Eagles' first 11 games of the year are on the road.

FACING RANKED TEAMS • NATIONAL
The preseason team rankings from the Associated Press and USA Today/WBCA were released the week of Oct. 26 with two of EMU's opponents appearing on each. The Eagles are set to play at Kentucky, Nov. 15, against a Wildcat team that is ranked No. 14 in both polls before heading to East Lansing to face Michigan State, Nov. 29, with the Spartans just outside the top 25 as a team receiving votes in both.

FACING RANKED TEAMS • MID-MAJOR
CollegeInsider.com released its preseason rankings, Oct. 29, with five opponents on the EMU schedule appearing on the list including three in the top 25. The ranked teams include No. 8 Ball State (away, Jan. 27), No. 16 Miami (home, Feb. 13), and No. 23 UMass (away, Feb. 10) while the two teams on the receiving votes list include Robert Morris (away, Nov. 11) and Ohio (home, Jan. 9, and away, Feb. 20).

MITTEN MEETINGS
Eastern Michigan is 173-172 all-time against teams from the Mitten State and will have seven opportunities to build upon that record this year as the Eagles are scheduled to play three non-conference opponents along with two games each with rivals Central Michigan and Western Michigan. The slate starts Nov. 18 at Oakland and continues No. 29 at Michigan State before the Eagles play host to Davenport, Dec. 29. After the New Year, the Eagles will travel to WMU (Jan. 2) and CMU (Jan. 13) before playing host to the Broncos, Feb. 17, and the Chippewas (Feb. 27).

DOUBLING UP AT HOME
The Eastern women's and men's basketball teams will play host to three doubleheaders during the 2027 MAC season with all three days seeing the women start at 1 p.m. and the men at 3:30 p.m. inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. The first doubleheader comes Jan. 9 with the women facing Ohio and before the men battle Bowling Green. Jan. 23 will see the women take on Akron with the men set to face Ball State. Finally, on Feb. 27, the women will welcome rival Central Michigan with the men facing Buffalo.

CONTINUE TO ELEVATE
Heading into the 2025-26 season, the Eagles were looking to break out and improve after finishing the 2024-25 season with a 2-27 record. Eastern did just that as it posted a 13-15 record with a 6-11 mark in league play to record an 11-win improvement, which ranked fifth nationally for the season-over-season metric. The 11-win increase for the Eagles marked the largest for the program since the 2009-10 squad posted a 22-9 record to show a 14-win improvement over the 2008-09 team's 8-21 finish.

ADDING UP
The 13 wins Eastern recorded in 2025-26 marked the first season with double-digit victories since the 2022-23 team tallied a 15-15 record. Should the Eagles secure 10+ wins again this year, it would mark the first back-to-back seasons with double-digit win totals since the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns in which EMU finished 16-15 and 10-10 respectively.

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
The 2026-27 MAC Preseason Coaches Poll was released Oct. 20 with Eastern Michigan selected sixth in the annual vote of the league's head coaches. As a team, Eastern received 61 points in the voting to sit sixth and double its predicted finish from last year when the Eagles were slotted 12th (of 13 teams) ahead of the 2025-26 season.

2026-27 MAC Preseason Coaches Poll
(First Place Votes)
1. Ball State (5) – 111 points
2. Miami (4) – 108 points
3. UMass (1) – 103 points
4. Toledo (2) – 98 points
5. Ohio – 75 points
6. Eastern Michigan – 61 points
7. Kent State– 59 points
8. Bowling Green – 50 points
9. Central Michigan – 44 points
10. Western Michigan – 37 points
11. Akron – 27 points
12. Buffalo – 19 points

Tournament Champion Votes:
Ball State (4), Toledo (4), Miami (3), UMass (1)

CLEVELAND WOULD ROCK!
Based on the MAC Preseason Coaches Poll, Eastern Michigan is predicted to make its return to Cleveland for the 2027 MAC Tournament, March 10-13, 2027, inside Rocket Arena, the home of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers and future home of the WNBA's Cleveland Sirens (2028 season). The top eight teams in the final regular season standings will earn berths into the tournament with the top two teams earning first-round byes. The winner of the tournament will once again earn the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament the following week.

FEELING HONORED
Along with the coaches poll, the league announced its 2026-27 Preseason All-MAC squads, Oct. 20, with Peyton Hill earning selection to the second team. Hill, who is entering her second season with the Eagles, earned her first preseason selection from the league with placement on the second team after being named the 2025-26 MAC Freshman of the Year and to the Honorable Mention All-MAC and MAC All-Freshman squads last year. The league's top scorer among rookies with 14.6 points per contest (ninth overall in the MAC), Hill, who was the fifth EMU player to earn the league's top rookie honor, also led all first-year players in free-throw percentage (81.9%), minutes per game (33.8), double-digit scoring games (22), and games scoring 20+ points (seven). A 35.2-percent three-point shooter and 44.7-percent overall, Hill started all 28 games for the Eagles and added 4.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 steals to her totals. Additionally, her 409 points scored were the sixth-best among freshmen in program history while her 22 double-digit scoring games were the most by an EMU freshman since the 2017-18 season while her seven games with 20+ points were the most since the 2013-14 campaign.

CLOSE TO THE TOP
Peyton Hill averaged 14.6 points per game last year as a freshman for the Eagles, which ranked ninth in the MAC and tops among first-year players. Heading into the 2026-27 season, Hill is the third-highest returning scorer in the league with only Yahmani McKayle of UMass (third at 16.5ppg) and Tessa Towers of Ball State (eighth at 14.7ppg) ahead of Hill. Additionally, Hill ranks second among returning players in free-throw shooting percentage after her 81.9-percent clip ranks behind only McKayle, who finished last year shooting 89.6 percent.

LOOKING TO REPLACE
Eastern lost six players from its 2025-26 roster, including a trio of starters in Ainoah Cea, Sisi Eleko, and Brooklyn Thrash along with reserves Eirini Chatzinikoli, Artemis Kouki, and Marisa Cribari. Combined, the group accounted for 47.7 percent of the team's scoring, 61.5 percent of its rebounds, and 64.3 percent of its assists. Eleko was a big part of those numbers as the 2025-26 All-MAC Second Team honoree ranked second in the MAC in scoring at 17.6 points per game while topping the league with 9.9 rebounds per contest, just 0.1 board per game away from her second consecutive season of averaging a double-double. Cea was equally as vital in the frontcourt as her 5.9 helpers per game ranked second. All three of the starters also ranked in the top 12 in the MAC in minutes per game with Cea ranking first (37.8), Eleko ninth (33.3), and Thrash 12th (32.5).

BACK FOR MORE
The 2026-27 Eastern Michigan roster features 14 players with nine returning from last year's squad. The returning Eagles include Paula Balada (Y-2), Ruby Brannon (Y-4), Adrena Gordon (Y-2), Peyton Hill (Y-2), Fernanda Ovalle (Y-5), Oliwia Pelka (Y-2), Sarah Rekowski (Y-3), Believe Tshibangu (Y-2), and Alli Zajac (Y-2).
» Balada started once and appeared in 28-of-29 games in her freshman season while averaging 10.0 minutes per game. She scored 1.3 points per contest while adding 0.5 rebounds and 0.5 steals.
» Brannon appeared in two games for the Eagles and recorded her first NCAA Division I statistics in the game with Defiance (Dec. 5) as she scored two points and added one rebound, one assist, and one steal in the win.
» Gordon redshirted her first collegiate season in 2025-26 and will have four years of eligibility remaining entering this season.
» Hill did it all for the Eagles in her rookie season as she led all freshmen in the MAC in scoring at 14.6 points per game, which is good enough to rank her third among all returning players in the league. She was named the MAC Freshman of the Year and earned placement on the All-MAC Honorable Mention and MAC All-Freshman teams following the season and was named to the 2026-27 Preseason All-MAC Second Team this year.
» Ovalle started all but one of the 29 games she played and averaged 12.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 30.1 minutes of play, which ranked 25th in the MAC last year. Additionally, her 12.4 PPG ranked 21st in the league.
» Pelka's rookie season saw her appear in 25 games and average 3.0 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game.
» Rekowski, who began her career at rival Western Michigan, saw action in 15 games in 2025-26 where she averaged 0.6 points and 0.5 rebounds.
» Tshibangu earned a pair of starts in 21 appearances in her first collegiate season where she averaged 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
» Zajac saw action in 23 games and averaged 2.4 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 6.9 minutes per game in her rookie season. She is the daughter of two former EMU basketball players, Jon Zajac and the former Kristy Maska.

AGE-BASED ELIGIBILITY
Starting with the 2026-27 academic year, the NCAA has adopted a new age-based eligibility model, commonly referred to as the 'Five-in-Five' model. Eastern Michigan athletic team rosters will now show a student-athlete's eligibility (EY) with a Y-#. A student-athlete listed as Y-1 is in their first year with five seasons to compete, Y-2 is in their second year with four seasons to compete, etc. Their academic year (AY) references their current academic standing with the University.

A MELTING POT OF EAGLES
The 2026-27 roster will once again have a strong international flavor as six countries will be represented (including the United States), which ties for the 20th-most nations across the NCAA. The Eagles' international players hail from five countries (Australia, Canada, Chile, Poland, and Spain) and four continents (North America, South America, Europe, and Australia/Oceania) with all five returning to the team from last season. The international student-athletes include:
» Ruby Brannon (Woonona, NSW, Australia)
» Fernanda Ovalle (Santiago, Chile)
» Oliwia Pelka (Sosnowiec, Poland)
» Believe Tshibangu (Courtice, Ontario, Canada)
» Paula Balada (Barcelona, Spain)

OUR POSITIONS
Eastern's positions are atypical as they are named after successful WNBA players.
» Sloot - 1 (Point Guard)
» Wiese - 2 (Shooting Guard)
» Young - 3 (Small Forward)
» Meese - 4 (Power Forward)
» Fowles - 5 (Center)
The point guard position is named after Courtney Vandersloot, the shooting guard is modeled after Sydney Wiese, while the small forward position resembles Jackie Young, the power forward Emma Meesseman, and the center Sylvia Fowles.

HELLO! MY NAME IS...
The Eastern roster features five newcomers to its ranks this year including a trio of transfers and two recent high school graduates. The group of transfers includes Ni'Rah Clark (Toledo, Ohio) from Akron, Zoe Guice (Westerville, Ohio) from Clarion, and Che McEvans (Detroit) from Nevada while the rookie class is comprised of Anna Habra from Mason, Ohio (Mason) and Molly Sisson from Rochester, Mass. (Northfield Mount Herman).
» Clark played the past two seasons in the MAC with Akron and is coming off a 2025-26 season that saw her start 24-of-29 games for the Zips. She averaged 11.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while averaging 27.3 minutes played.
» Guice was a two-year play maker for Clarion and averaged 14.4 points and 4.3 assists per game last season. During her time with Clarion, she earned Second Team All-PSAC accolades and was a three-time PSAC West Player of the Week honoree during the 2025-26 season.
» McEvans, a Detroit native, returns home after a collegiate journey that included two years with Buffalo (2020-21 and 2021-22), two with Syracuse (2022-23 and 2023-24), one year with Florida A&M (2024-25), and one year at Nevada (2025-26), although injuries kept her out of playing in both the 2023-24 and 2025-26 seasons. In her long year with FAMU, she averaged 13.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists.
» Habra was a multi-sport standout for the Comets as she became the first female in Greater Miami Conference history to earn player of the year awards in two sports in the same academic year after garnering the top honor in both soccer and basketball. On the hardwood, she averaged 14.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.
» Sisson was also a two-sport standout in high school as she competed for the Hoggers' volleyball and basketball teams. A member of the school's 2020 and 2021 state championship volleyball teams, Sisson set a single-game record in basketball with 13 blocks.

ON THE SIDELINES
Sahar Nusseibeh returns for her third year guiding the Eastern Michigan program and sports a record of 15-43 leading the Eagles she led her Eagles to an 11-win improvement in 2025-26 as Eastern finished the year 13-16 overall, bouncing back from a 2-27 first season in Ypsilanti. Nusseibeh, who got her start in the 2021-22 campaign with Canisius, is entering her sixth collegiate season as a head coach and carries a 47-103 record on the sideline.
A rising coaching star while in the MAAC, Nusseibeh is no stranger to the MAC as she previously served as an assistant coach at Miami (2019-21) and Bowling Green (2013-16). A 2009 graduate of American, Nusseibeh got her start as a graduate assistant at Cincinnati (2009-11) before coaching stints at Holy Cross (2011-13), and Manhattan (2016-19), where she was tabbed as the associate head coach.

NEW TO THE CREW
The coaching staff added three new members for the 2026-27 season with Selana Ickes joining as an assistant coach, Joshua Cromwell added as the Director of Player Development, and Danny Robertson as the team's sports performance coach.

Ickes comes to Ypsilanti with a wealth of coaching knowledge as she previously served as the head coach at Malone University from 2018-26, guiding the NCAA Division II program to a 143-87 record that boasted three 20-win seasons, seven winning seasons, and two NCAA Tournament berths.

Cromwell enters his new role with two years of experience as a student manager and graduate assistant for both the men's and women's basketball programs at EMU, where he aided in practice, operations, and other managerial duties. Cromwell also helped create basketball training programs for the Boys and Girls' Club of Saginaw.

Robertson arrived in Ypsilanti after serving as a graduate assistant at the University of West Florida where he directed all aspects of sports performance for the men's basketball and baseball programs while assisting with football. He designed year-round training programs, collaborated with athletic trainers and sport coaches on return-to-play protocols, mentored interns, and incorporated technology, including VALD, GymAware, Kbox, Keiser, Brower Timing Gates, and blood flow restriction training, into athlete assessment and programming.

Along with the three newcomers, three members of the coaching staff are also back for their third year on Sahar Nusseibeh's staff, including Shareese Ulis, Emily Hays, and Kayla Jackson, all of whom serve as assistant coaches.

QUICK LOOK BACK • 2025-26
Eastern Michigan posted a 13-16 record in 2025-26 with a 6-12 mark in MAC play that saw the Eagles finish ninth in the league standings, one place shy of reaching the MAC Tournament. After an opening-day loss at ULM, 80-71, in the MAC-SBC Challenge, the Eagles bounced back with a 70-39 win at Canisius, the previous stop for Sahar Nusseibeh.

Eastern continued to trade wins and losses through it first five games, standing 2-3 after five consecutive road games to open the year. Back at home, EMU scored a 64-54 win over Robert Morris to start a four-game winning streak, but a two-game skid dropped the Eagles to 6-5 overall with a 0-1 record in the MAC. EMU closed out 2026 with a MAC win, 86-76 at home, over Bowling Green before seeing four consecutive losses to open 2027.

Eastern got back into the win column with three consecutive wins, starting with a thrilling 76-71 home win over Toledo and capped with a 71-51 road win at Buffalo. But the Eagles were held to three more wins over their final 10 games to finish the year at 13-16.

AND THE AWARD GOES TO...
Eastern Michigan players earned several awards from the Mid-American Conference throughout the 2025-26 season, including both athletic and academic honors. Athletically, the season opened with Sisi Eleko named to the Preseason All-MAC First Team before she ended the year as a member of the All-MAC Second Team. Joining Eleko on the postseason lists was freshman phenom Peyton Hill, who was named the MAC Freshman of the Year, All-MAC Honorable Mention, and MAC All-Freshman.

During the season, two Eagles earned weekly awards from the conference, including Eleko, who was twice named the MAC Player of the Week (Dec. 2 and Dec. 16). She was joined by Fernanda Ovalle, who earned the award Jan. 6.

Finally, four players earned academic awards, starting with Eleko and Brooklyn Thrash, who earned placement on the Academic All-MAC team. The duo of Ainoah Cea and Ovalle were honored as CSC Academic All-District, which is given annually by the College Sports Communicators.

MORE TEAM HONORS
At the conclusion of the 2025-26 season, Eastern earned a Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top-25 Special Mention as it posted a top 50 team cumulative GPA in the nation as the team's 3.585 cumulative GPA ranked 50th nationally out of 362 NCAA Division I programs.

The team posted a 3.645 cumulative GPA in the 2025 fall semester with 10 Eagles recording a GPA over 3.00, and four holding a perfect 4.0. In the 2026 winter semester, the team compiled a 3.572 cumulative GPA. Ten student-athletes had at least a 3.0 while three totaled a 4.0.

The WBCA Academic Top 25 recognizes college women's basketball teams across the nation in their respective divisions that carry the highest combined GPAs inclusive of all student-athletes on their rosters for the entire season. A team must have a combined GPA of 3.0 or better and be nominated by its head coach who must be a member of the WBCA to be recognized. The 2025-26 season is the 31st in which the WBCA has compiled the honor rolls.

ON THE HORIZON
Eastern Michigan returns to action, Nov. 5, when the Eagles play their first of six consecutive road games with a contest at Purdue inside Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. The game is slated for a 7 p.m. start and will stream live on Big Ten Network Plus.

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Players Mentioned

Paula Balada

Ruby Brannon

Eirini Chatzinikoli

Ni'Rah Clark

Marisa Cribari

Sisi Eleko

Adrena Gordon

Zoe Guice

Anna Habra

Peyton Hill

Artemis Kouki

Fernanda Ovalle

Oliwia Pelka

Sarah Rekowski

Molly Sisson

Brooklyn Thrash

Believe Tshibangu

Alli Zajac