Ivy women’s basketball Media Day highlights

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As the 2024-25 season quickly approaches, the Ivy League hosted its annual women’s basketball Media Day on Thursday. The three-hour event, hosted by Lance Medow, can be viewed on the conference’s YouTube channel.

Prior to the event, the league announced the results of its preseason poll.

Princeton, which has claimed the Ancient Eight title for the last six years, was picked first with 122 out of a possible 128 points and 10 first-place votes.  Columbia, which has tied for the top spot in each of the last two seasons, came in second with 110 points and five first-place votes.

Harvard, which has finished the last two years in third placed, was tabbed for third in 2025, earning 101 points and one first-place spot. 

Penn, the final participant in last year’s Ivy tournament, was picked fourth with 75 votes, while Brown, which finished last year tied with Penn for fourth, was four points back in fifth place.

Sixth place went to Yale, which was as high as third place in 2022, with 48 votes. 

While Cornell and Dartmouth ended last season tied for seventh place, the Big Red got the nod for seventh in this year’s poll with 30 points and the Big Green were eighth with 19 points.  

Below are highlights from this year’s virtual Media Day:

Introduction

  • The Ivy League earned two bids (Princeton, Columbia) to the 2024 NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last seven years.
  • Three former Ancient Eight players: Abbey Hsu (Columbia), Kaitlyn Davis (Columbia/USC), McKenzie Forbes (Harvard/USC) were selected in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
  • Ivy Madness, featuring the top four teams in the regular season, will take place at Brown’s Pizzitola Center on March 14 and 15.
  • (Not mentioned during the call: The Ivy League is the No. 7 ranked conference at WarrenNolan.com, one spot behind the Big East)

Brown

  • “There was heartbreak last year. Tears were shed. We felt very close (to a spot in the Ivy Tournament), but we also know that we have growth to do, and we know what that is. We know where we have to be better. I know our team has really bought into our core values, and we absolutely want to be the next great team in the Ivy League.” – coach Monique LeBlanc
  • Last year: 16-11 overall, 7-7 Ivy (tied for fourth place)
  • The Bears losses first team All-Ivy guard Kyla Jones and her team-leading 17.1 ppg to graduation, but returns junior guard Grace Arnolie (14.4 ppg, 64 made three-pointers) and senior guard Isabella Mauricio (8.7 ppg, 54 made three-pointers).
  • The coach said the team knows that the key to getting into Ivy Madness is through rebounding. While last year’s squad was the best in steals and second in blocks, it was sixth in offensive rebounding rate, eighth in defensive rebounding rate and eighth in rebounding margin.   
  • Getting the rebounding numbers up will be a challenge, since both members of last year’s starting frontcourt have been hit by injuries. Junior Ada Anamekwe (26 starts, 7.1 ppg, 5.1 rpb, 23 blocks) is out for the season, while junior Alyssa Moreland (18 starts, 5.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg) is out indefinitely. The coach highlighted senior center Gianna Aiello (21 games, 1.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 11 blocks), as someone who will has gotten increased minutes during the summer trip to Portugal and the fall practices.

Columbia

  • “I think every day is an opportunity for us to all get better, and I’m excited to see what this group is going to do. I really believe that we’re going to have an exciting brand of Columbia women’s basketball that’s going to be different than last year.” – Coach Megan Griffith
  • Last year: 23-7 overall, 13-1 Ivy (tied for first), lost in Ivy Tournament final, lost in NCAA First Four vs. Vanderbilt
  • Columbia has another strong non-conference schedule, which has gotten harder with the team’s conference and national success. The team finalized its schedule in mid-September, finalizing a game with Florida Gulf Coast, one of the top mid-major teams in the country. In addition to a home contest against the Eagles, the Lions will take on Indiana, Duke, Richmond, Villanova, Providence, Stony Brook and Providence. There is also a potential matchup against Baylor in the second round of the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament.
  • The team will be without last year’s Player of the Year Abbey Hsu (20.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg), but it still has two senior All-Ivy guards, Kitty Henderson (12.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 4.0 apg, 55 steals) and Cecelia Collins (13.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.9 apg).
  • While Henderson and Collins expect to increase their roles to fill the space left behind by Hsu, there should be expanded roles for junior guard/forward Perri Page (28 games, 11 starts, 5.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg), junior forward Susie Rafiu (29 games, 14 starts, 4.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg), sophomore guard Riley Weiss (30 games, 2 starts, 7.1 ppg, 43 made three-pointers) and sophomore guard Fliss Henderson, Kitty’s sister (30 games, 27 starts, 4.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg). 

Cornell

  • “We’re really focused on two things and that’s process and progress. Every single day, we are working really hard to build into our system, build into each other and take steps forward.” – head coach Emily Garner
  • Last year: 7-19 overall, 1-13 Ivy (tied for seventh)
  • Emily Garner, the former head coach of Division III Trinity College (2016-2024) and a former player at Lafayette (2005-2009), takes over for long-time coach Dayna Smith.
  • Cornell typically had strong defense, but last year’s team struggled on that end. The new coach is going to integrate defensive philosophies that worked well for her in the past, such as playing faster, pressure opponents into turnovers and create chaos.  Offensively, the team is looking to be more disciplined by increasing its assist rate and decreasing its turnovers.
  • The top five rebounders from last year, as well as five of the top six scorers, return.
  • The Big Red will be led by junior forward Emily Pape (26 starts, 10 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and a pair of sophomore guards, Azareya Kilgoe (25 starts, 8.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 69 assists) and Rachel Kaus (26 games, 8.2 ppg, three rebounds).
  • The coach is focused on process and wants to avoid an outcome-based approach.  Cornell is looking to improve in certain statistical categories (assist-to-turnovers, rebounding, turnovers, shooting percentage) so the team can be in a competitive position by the end of games. As opposed to Dartmouth, which slowly introduced new concepts, Garner is putting in a lot of new systems and philosophies.   

Dartmouth

  • “We’re working really hard; we’ve got some really good pieces and we’re going to be prepared. We might not have the best players, we may not be the biggest, fastest, strongest, but we will be prepared, and we’ll work hard until the final buzzer.” – Head coach Linda Cimino
  • Last year: 7-19 overall, 1-13 Ivy (tied for seventh)
  • The staff focused much more on the defensive side during last year’s initial rebuilding season. The Big Green finished second in the nation in opponent’s free throw rate (9.4%) and Top 70 in the nation in points allowed per game (60.1). Offensively, Dartmouth didn’t have any double-digit scorers and was last in the country with only 46.6 points per game. 
  • Four of the top five scorers and top four rebounders return for a staff that set a goal of making it into the upper half of the conference. 
  • The coach feels the Big Green have one of the best frontcourts in the league with 6’4″ senior Doreen Ariik (17 games, 6.8 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 29 blocks), 6’3″ junior Clare Meyer (26 games, 8.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and first-year 6’1″ Olivia Austin.
  • Six new players arrive, including Austin, expected starting point guard Zeynep Ozal, and sophomore guard Alexandra Eldredge, who transferred from Southern Utah and previously committed to play for Cimino at St. Francis (Brooklyn).
  • With Ozal bringing the ball up, sophomore Nina Minicozzi (26 games, 6.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 60 assists) will move from the point to her natural wing position.

Harvard

  • “This season, the most notable thing for me is the depth in numbers. It’s the biggest team that I’ve ever coached, not necessarily by height, but because we’ve got 15 players on our roster. The depth in numbers, the depth in talent, the depth in competitiveness, the depth in versatility, the depth in energy and joy. I think we’re already reaping the benefits of the strength in numbers and I’m excited to see what that looks like as we progress throughout the season – Head coach Carrie Moore
  • Last year: 16-12 overall, 9-5 Ivy (third place)
  • 10 of the 11 players from last year’s active roster return, led by first team All-Ivy senior guard Harmoni Turner (19.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 4.3 apg, 2.2 spg). In September, Turner co-captained USA Basketball’s U23 3 x 3 team, which won a gold medal at the FIBA World Cup in Mongolia.
  • In addition to the depth, the Crimson coach is excited to have versatile players that allow her team to play positionless basketball. For example, honorable mention All-Ivy junior forward Katie Krupa (28 starts, 11.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg) had 43 made three-pointers on 43% shooting and 6′ 2″ senior guard Elena Rodriguez (24 games, 20 starts, 10.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg) typically plays the low post.
  • With the larger roster, the team is looking to play a more aggressive form of defense compared to the first several years of Moore’s tenure.
  • While Turner, who underwent knee surgery in December and returned for league play a month later, said she is the healthiest she’s been during her time in Cambridge, the coach mentioned that the team is monitoring Rodriguez, who missed several Ivy contests due to an injury sustained at Columbia, to make sure she stays healthy through the year.
  • There are five newcomers, highlighted by 6′ 0″ first-year forward Hana Belibi, who was the No. 98 national recruit by espnW.

Penn

  • “This team, in particular, has a lot of growth to be had. They have the right mindset. They love being around each other. We’ve progressed over the last month at a pace that I’m really excited about.” – coach Mike McLaughlin
  • Last year: 15-13 overall, 7-7 Ivy (tied for fourth); lost in Ivy tournament semifinal
  • The Quakers were led by All-Ivy stars Kayla Padilla (2019-2023) and Jordan Obi (2020-2024) over the last several years, but this is now Mataya Gayle’s team. According to McLaughlin, the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year (28 starts, 14.3 ppg, 51 made three-pointers, 88 assists, 41 steals) has shown huge growth as a player and leader since the start of her sophomore campaign.
  • Gayle will be the focal point of the backcourt, but senior Lizzy Groetsch (28 starts, 5.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg), sophomore Ese Ogbevire (27 games, 4.7 ppg) and junior Simone Sawyer (24 games, 14 starts, 3.3 ppg) will also see expanded roles.
  • Second team All-Ivy guard Stina Almqvist (15.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 31 blocks) will move to the inside post position for her senior year and got ready by playing 3 x 3 for Sweden.
  • The coach highlighted sophomore guard Abby Sharp (20 games, 3.1 ppg) and senior forward Iyanna Rogers (15 games, 2.1 ppg, 1.3 rpg), as two people who have taken big steps during the preseason to compete for expanded roles.
  • (Note: Jordan Obi was a graduate transfer to the University of Kentucky and suffered a lower leg injury during the summer. According to the Wildcats’ head coach Kenny Brooks, Obi will be out at least until January and re-evaluated at that time.)

Princeton

  • “The excitement is there, the hard work is there and the work ethic. They’re coming together as a team, slowly but surely. The ‘Get Stops’ mantra is a work in progress, but it’s been a lot of fun so far.” – coach Carla Berube
  • Last year: 25-5 overall, 13-1 Ivy (tied for first place), won Ivy tournament, lost in NCAA first round vs West Virginia
  • The Tigers lose three-fifths of the starting lineup to graduation, 2023 Ivy Player of the Year Kaitlyn Chen (15.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.9 apg), three-time Defensive Player of the Year Ellie Mitchell (5.4 ppg, 10.2 rpg) and Chet Nweke (6.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg), but Berube still has second team All-Ivy junior guard Madison St. Rose (14.8 ppg) and sophomore guard Skye Belker (8.5 ppg).
  • The coach expects to have a bigger presence down low than the last few years, featuring 6′ 4″ junior Tabitha Amanze, 6′ 4″ senior Parker Hill, 6′ 3″ senior Paige Morton and 6′ 2″ senior Katie Thiers.
  • In the backcourt, Berube feels there will be bigger roles for sophomores Ashley Chea (30 games, 15.4 mpg, 6.0 ppg) and Mari Bickley (25 games, 8.7 mpg, 2.6 ppg), who both learned a lot from Chen. 
  • When asked what statistics are most important to the defensive-minded head coach, Berube mentioned the plus-minus category to see how a player is impacting a game and preventing opponents’ offensive production, as well as assist-to-turnover ratio, especially in the guard position, to make sure players are taking care of the ball.

Yale

  • “Part of the rebuild process is rebuilding your culture. We feel like we’re finally in the spot, where our culture is exactly where it needs to be and now we can focus on basketball.” – coach Dalila Eshe
  • Last year: 8-19 overall, 5-9 Ivy (sixth place)
  • Point guard Jenna Clark (three-time All-Ivy) and forward Brenna McDonald (team’s Most Improved Player in ’24) graduated and senior guard Nyla McGill (2022-2023 Ivy League Co-Defensive Player of the Year) left the program. Those three starters accounted for 72% of the team’s assists, 55% of its points, 53% of its rebounds).  
  • This year’s team will be led by the two remaining starters, junior guard Kiley Capstraw (27 games, 11.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and senior forward Grace Thybulle (26 games, 6.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg).
  • Similar to the comments from Yale’s James Jones at the men’s Media Day, Eshe revamps her offense each year based on the people that she has. Last year’s was based on having a point guard that had strong court vision and liked having the ball in her hand. Without Clark, this year’s team will have less dribbling, as well as more ball movement, distribution and shots under the basket.
  • Last year’s team gave up 68.4 points per game, which was the last in the Ivies. The coach felt having her team go up against a high-level practice squad during practices has helped her team force opponents to the perimeter and navigate ball screen action.
  • The 13-player roster has six new players, including sophomore forward Ana Guillen, who transferred from Wisconsin. 

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