The Yale women finished last season at 8-19 and 5-9 in the Ivy League. Gone from last year are leading scorer and assist leader Jenna Clark, leading rebounder Nyla McGill and third-leading scorer Brenna McDonald. Good news or bad news?
Well, Ivy media has pegged Yale as a sixth-place finisher.
Yale third-year coach Dalila Eshe says her team will have improved “culture” and be “incredibly athletic, running a high-octane offense.” She defines culture as “buying into the program and [being] like-minded.”
Yale was sixth in Ivy offensive production at 60.7 ppg a season ago. The Bulldogs finished last in defense, giving up 68.4 ppg, and this year’s edition loses defensive firepower.
Key returnees are junior Kiley Capstraw, who was the second-leading scorer at 11.2 ppg, along with 6-foot-3 senior Grace Thybulle and senior guard/forward Mackenzie Egger.
Yale brings in six new players, including sophomore Ana Guillen from Spain. Guillen spent last season as a role player at Wisconsin.
The freshmen are talented.
Ke’iara Odume was NEPSAC Player of the Year at Loomis-Chaffee in Windsor, Conn.
Ciniya Moore was on the IMG National Team 2023.
Abigail Long was the No. 1 shooter in Kansas.
Yale plays a challenging out-of-conference schedule, headlined by trips to Michigan State for Egger. who is from from Michigan, and Syracuse. Pacific, Stony Brook and Boston University play at John J. Lee Amphitheater.