2025-26 Ivy League women’s basketball preview

The release of the Ivy League preseason media poll and 2025-26 Media Day revealed Princeton as the favorite heading into the 2025-26 season, followed by three-time defending champion Columbia, 2025 Ivy Madness title-holder Harvard in third and Penn rounding out the upper half of the conference.

Brown, which has tied the Quakers for fourth place the last two years, is the clear choice for the fifth slot. Dartmouth, Cornell and Yale are pegged for the last three spots, with the Big Green one point ahead of the Big Red and seven points in front of the Bulldogs.

Tier one

Princeton and Columbia are the two clear frontrunners heading into the season. Both programs have been highly successful in the Ancient Eight, as well as nationally, over multiple years and have the ability to weather the loss of elite talent. The Tigers return a solid core of six players, including Madison St. Rose who missed most of last year due to a knee injury, and there is bound to be the yearly arrival of a role player who steps up in a big way when moved into the rotation. (One potential candidate is senior forward Taylor Charles.) While there are concerns due to a lack of size and a short roster of 11, it shouldn’t be a problem until the NCAA Tournament for a team that many experts have just outside the Top 25.

The Lions, meanwhile, have more size than previous years (six players between 6’0″ and 6’3″) and a deep roster that is highlighted by Riley Weiss, one of the nation’s premier three-point shooters. The program lost its all-time winningest player in Kitty Henderson, but return her sister Fliss, who missed all of last year. The younger Henderson, like most of the veterans on this team, are comfortable playing multiple positions, giving coach Megan Griffith a variety of options.

Like most years, the battle for regular season supremacy is likely going to come down to the two games in Jadwin and Levien Gymnasium, and both seem like locks for slots in the Ivy League Tournament at Cornell.

1. Princeton (17 first-place votes, 163 out of 168 points)
Head coach: Carla Berube (seventh year at Princeton, 121-25)
Last season: 21-8 (12-2 Ivy; second place)
Last Ivy titles: regular season (2024), Ivy League Tournament (2024)
Last Ivy tournament appearance: 2025 (Lost semifinal to Harvard, 70-67)
Last NCAA appearance: 2025 (Lost play-in to Iowa State, 68-63)

Key Returns (’24-’25 stats vs D1 opponents, per Her Hoops Stats)
Madison St. Rose (Sr., G): 4 games/4 starts, 32.3 mpg, 17 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.8 spg
Skye Belker (Jr., G): 28 games/27 starts, 31.7 mpg, 13.0 ppg, 2.8 apg
Ashley Chea (Jr., G): 29 games/28 starts, 33.6 mpg, 3.6 apg
Fadima Tall (Jr. G/F): 28 games/27 starts, 29.3 mpg, 10.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.3 apg
Olivia Hutcherson (Jr., G/F): 28 games/23 starts, 20.3 mpg, 4.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg

Key Losses
Parker Hill (graduation, F): 29 games/29 starts, 21.1 mpg, 4.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.3 apg)
Tabitha Amanze (transfer to Virginia, F): 28 games/2 starts, 12.4 mpg, 6.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg

Key Nonconference Games
11/9 at Georgia Tech
11/12 at Villanova
11/16 at Maryland
12/2 vs Seton Hall
12/6 at Belmont
12/20 at George Mason
12/22 vs Temple

“They (main rotation) know how to play together, but we’re also doing some new things. Different pieces offensively, different pieces defensively, so we’re not taking the plays where we were in March of last year. It’s a lot of new stuff, and it’s exciting. I think we’re a little bit more positionless this year than last year with Parker Hill … We don’t have that luxury, but we have the luxury of being more positionless and be able to space the floor. So excited to learning how to do that, how to play off each other and how to make the plays for each other.” – Carla Berube

2. Columbia (three first-place votes, 147 points)
Head coach: Megan Griffith (10th year at Columbia, 146-91)
Last season: 24-7 (13-1; first place)
Last Ivy titles: regular season (2025), Ivy tournament (none)
Last Ivy tournament appearance: 2025 (Lost final to Harvard, 74-71)
Last NCAA appearance: 2025 (Won play-in vs. Washington, 63-60; Lost Round of 64 to West Virginia, 78-59)

Key Returns
Riley Weiss (Jr., G): 31 games/31 starts, 30.1 mpg, 17.8 ppg, 3.1 3ptpg
Perri Page (Sr., G/F): 31 games/18 starts, 25.1 mpg, 7.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.3 spg
Susie Rafiu (Sr., F): 31 games/31 starts, 25.2 mpg, 6.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg
Marija Avlijas (Jr., G): 26 games/13 starts, 21 mpg, 4.8 ppg, 1.6 apg
Mia Broom (So., G): 23 games/1 start, 17.2 mpg, 4.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.7 apg

Key Losses
Kitty Henderson (graduation, G): 31 games/31 starts, 33.9 mpg, 13.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 4.8 apg, 2.5 spg
Cecelia Collins (graduation, G): 30 games/30 starts, 29.7 mpg, 13.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.3 spg

Key Nonconference Games
11/15 vs Richmond
11/27-11/29 Cancun Challenge (Kansas State, South Dakota State, UNC)
12/9 at Seton Hall
12/29 at Florida Gulf Coast

“We are a huge team this year. We’re very versatile, as well. Like Coach G said, Fliss (Henderson) can play the one through five. I can guard the one through five. We have a lot of versatility within our offense and defense, and you can put people in different positions where we’re going to have a lot of mismatches everywhere. I think that’s the biggest difference (from previous Columbia teams). Why this team is so special is that we’re going to be able to pick on a lot of people because of our versatility.” – Perri Page

Tier two

Last year was an incredibly season for the Crimson, spending much of the season near the top of the Mid-Major Top 25 and hovering around the national Top 25. Without Harmoni Turner and Elena Rodriguez, the team will start off the year with a committee approach on the offensive side and look for one or two people to take the lead (perhaps Saniyah Glenn-Bello on the wing and Abigail Wright down low). Harvard feels their tenacious pressure defense might actually be stronger this year due to their size, length and versatility.  The team will need to use the nonconference schedule to figure things out in terms of offense and leadership, but the tough schedule should prepare the Crimson to battle the top the Tigers and Lions for the regular season title and a chance to defend its Ivy Madness title.

 3. Harvard (one first-place vote, 126 points)
Head coach: Carrie Moore (fourth year at Harvard, 60-29)
Last season: 24-5 (11-3; third place)
Last Ivy titles: regular season (2008), Ivy tournament (2025)
Last Ivy tournament appearance: 2025 (Won final vs. Columbia, 74-71)
Last NCAA appearance: 2025 (Lost Round of 64 to Michigan State, 64-50)

Key Returns
Saniyah Glenn-Bello (Sr., G): 27 games/27 starts, 25.7 mpg, 6.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg
Gabby Anderson (Sr., G): 29 games/29 starts, 21.7 mpg, 3.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.7 spg
Lydia Chatira (So., G): 29 games/29 starts, 21.3 mpg, 2.9 ppg, 1.4 apg
Karlee White (Jr., G): 29 games/one start, 21.1 ppg, 5.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg
Abigail Wright (Jr., F): 29 games/zero starts, 13.6 mpg, 5.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg

Key Losses
Harmoni Turner (graduation, G): 29 games/29 starts, 22.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.4 apg, 2.8 spg
Elena Rodriguez (graduation, G): 29 games/29 starts, 25.1 ppg, 11.7 ppg., 4.4 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.6 spg

Key Nonconference Games
11/7 vs St. John’s
11/9 at Michigan
11/11 vs UMass
11/15, 11/16: Raising the B.A.R. Invitational at UC, Berkeley (Oakland, Cal/Charlotte)
11/24, 11/26: Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship (Alabama, South Florida/Minnesota)

Our identity stays the same (without the presence of Turner and Rodriguez). We want to put ourselves in a position to win basketball games because we’re getting stops. I honestly think with the size and the versatility, the length that we have, we can be a better defensive team. Discipline-wise, versatility-wise, we’ve got the ability to switch a lot of screens, to fly around 94 feet, to sub. We’ve got a lot of depth, so that bodes really well when you’re trying to press, you’re trying to apply pressure for 40 minutes. I think the biggest change will probably be what we do offensively. You’re just going to see the ball moving, bodies moving, a lot of different options. I think it can be anybody’s night on our team, any given night. – Carrie Moore

Tier three

Another year for Penn and Brown to battle for fourth place and the final slot in the Ivy tournament. Both teams have experience and depth, even if they don’t have the same level of overall talent as the teams in the higher tiers. When looking at two teams that were so closely matched, the two biggest issues were the Bears’ large number of injuries and the Quakers’ stronger overall schedule, which ultimately proved to be the difference in getting the last spot in the Ivy Tournament. Listening to coach LeBlanc during the recent Media Day, it didn’t seem that the strength of schedule was as important as getting her team to build confidence heading into Ivy play. If that is the case, then it will be even more important for her team to make sure its main rotation players stay off the disabled list.

4. Penn (106 points)
Head coach: Mike McLaughlin (17th year at Penn, 258-175)
Last season: 15-13 (6-8; 4th place – tie)
Last Ivy titles: Regular season (2018), Ivy Tournament (2017)
Last Ivy tournament appearance: 2025 (Lost semifinal to Columbia, 60-54)
Last NCAA appearance (2017, Lost Round of 64 to Texas A&M, 63-61)

Key Returns
Mataya Gayle (Jr., G): 27 games/26 starts, 33.5 mpg, 12.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.4 spg
Katie Collins (So., F): 27 games/27 starts, 34.3 mpg, 10.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.7 bpg
Simone Sawyer (Sr., G): 25 games/25 starts, 25.8 mpg, 7.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.5 spg
Sarah Miller (So., G): 27 games/10 starts, 14.9 mpg, 5.1 ppg, 1.9 mpg

Key Losses
Stina Almqvist (graduation, F): 36.4 mpg, 17.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg

Key Nonconference Game
11/30 at Texas

“I love this group. This is a very competitive group. We have some experience at the top, and we have a lot of new faces that are continuing to grow as players. Big transition for any athlete from a freshman to a sophomore. We’re seeing that our sophomore class is a better group than they were a year ago. ‘Our junior group has greatly improved, as well, to add depth to the program, to the roster, to the on the floor experience. This is a competitive group. They love to compete with each other. They love to challenge one another in everything they do, particularly on the court.” – Mike McLaughlin

5. Brown (84 points)
Head coach: Monique LeBlanc (sixth year at Brown, 45-61)
Last season: 12-15 (6-8, fourth place – tie)
Last Ivy titles: regular season (2006), Ivy tournament (none)
Last Ivy tournament appearance: 2017 (Lost semifinal to Penn, 71-60)
Last NCAA appearance: 1994 (Lost Round of 64 to UConn, 79-60)

Key Returns
Grace Arnolie (Sr., G): 26 games/26 starts, 33.1 mpg, 15.1 ppg, 3.7 apg, 1.5 spg
Olivia Young (Jr., G): 26 games/22 starts, 28.2 mpg, 6.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Gia Powell (So., G): 20 games/11 starts, 8.8 ppg
Alyssa Moreland (Sr., F): 13 games/10 starts, 24.0 mpg, 7.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg
Monet Witherspoon (So., G): 26 games/25 starts, 11.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg (at Tufts)

Key Losses
Isabella Mauricio (graduation, G): 26 games/25 starts, 30.6 ppg, 7.5 ppg
Gianna Aiello (graduation, F): 20 games/18 starts, 25.4 mpg, 9.2 ppg, 7.9 rpg

Key Nonconference Games
11/7 at Belmont
11/30 at Lehigh

“We have six seniors, and that’s been helpful to offset the six newcomers. The seniors have so much experience. They all have their own strengths, and they have strength as a group. They really take a lot of pride of who we are as a program, how we do things. They have done a great job of bringing the newcomers along and helping coach them up. There’s a lot of moments every day that I see a senior put an arm around a newcomer or just off to the side explaining something in greater depth and helping them.  They have made that transition from my vantage point really smooth for the newcomers to have that support from the leadership in our senior class. – Monique LeBlanc

Tier four

Yale, Dartmouth and Cornell each continue along their individual rebuilds with the Bulldogs in year four, the Big Green at year three and the Big Red in year two. Dartmouth and Cornell return lots of athletes who played meaningful minutes last year, while Yale dipped into the transfer portal to grab players from UTEP and Michigan State to try and speed up its growth curve.

Shortly after being hired in the summer of 2023, head coach Linda Cimino told The Next Hoops she wanted to the Big Green to be a top four program competing for Ivy League championships in three years. While there is an outside chance of getting the fourth slot in this year’s Ivy tournament, a regular-season or postseason title seems unlikely. Cornell and coach Emily Garner, one year behind Dartmouth in its journey, will have an equally difficult time trying to crash into the upper half of the conference. The goal for both teams is to continue their methodical forward trajectories.

The Bulldogs, which was the third-best team in the conference when coach Dalila Eshe was hired in 2022, has seen its win totals go from 13 in year one to eight in year two and three last year. Meanwhile, Harvard, which hired Moore the same year, has risen to national heights.  Having to replace three-fifths of a starting lineup that tied for seventh place will make it extremely challenging for Yale to get back to Ivy Madness for the first time since 2022. While Cimino and Garner should be given more time to rebuild their programs, it is unclear if Eshe would get a fifth year without a drastic improvement.

6. Dartmouth (46 points)
Head coach: Linda Cimino (third year at Dartmouth, 15-38)
Last season: 8-19 (2-12, eighth place)
Last Ivy titles: regular season (2009), Ivy tournament (none)
Last Ivy tournament appearance: none
Last NCAA appearance: 2009 (Lost Round of 64 to Maryland, 82-53)

Key Returns
Olivia Austin (So., F): 26 games/25 starts, 6.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg
Zeynep Ozel (So., G): 24 games/23 starts, 24.2 mpg, 6.8 ppg, 2.1 apg
Clare Meyer (Sr., F): 25 games/25 starts, 22.1 mpg, 6.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg
Alexandra Eldredge (Jr., G): 22 games/22 starts, 27.8 mpg, 6.0 ppg
Cate MacDonald (Jr., F): 24 games/zero starts, 19.3 mpg, 4.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg

Key Losses
Victoria Page (graduation, G): 25 games/25 starts, 36.0 mpg, 14.7 ppg
Doreen Ariik (graduation, F): 12 games/one start, 10.9 mpg, 0.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg

Key Nonconference Game
12/28 at Vermont

“You always want to work on the defense. The area that we struggled with last year defensively was when we had live ball turnovers. I think the next step right now is taking care of the basketball and not committing as many live ball turnovers. Those are the areas that teams were able to score against us in transition. If we focus on that transition defense, (it will) helps us and they’re not getting easy baskets. Obviously, when we’re not turning the ball over, we’re having more possessions on offense and we’re able to have opportunities to score more. I’ve always been an old school coach, back to the basket, run some high-low stuff. We still have our inside presence, but we also have guards now that like to make shots. I think you’ll see changeups on the offensive end, as well.” – Linda Cimino

7. Cornell (45 points)
Head coach: Emily Garner (2nd season at Cornell; 7-20)
Last season: 7-20 (3-11, seventh place – tie)
Last Ivy titles: regular season (2008), Ivy tournament (none)
Last Ivy ttournament appearance: 2019
Last NCAA appearance: 2008 (lost in Round of 64 to UConn, 88-47)

Key Returns (eight of top nine rotation players
Emily Pape (Sr., F): 27 games/26 starts, 27.4 mpg, 10.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.4 apg
Rachel Kaus (Jr., G/F): 27 games/3 starts, 24.0 mpg, 9.6 rpg, 4.0 rpg
Clarke Jackson (Jr., G): 27 games/27 starts. 31.8 mpg, 7.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.7 apg

Key Losses
Summer Parker-Hill (graduation; F): 24 games/24 starts, 12.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg

Key Nonconference Games
11/11 at Pittsburgh
12/3 at Lehigh
12/6 at Quinnipiac
12/28 at Stanford

We want to play with a bit more pace than we played with last year. That’s something we’ve been working on and focusing on. Part of that is controlling possessions, really focusing in on our rebounding, focusing in on our passing … Last year, it was like having 16 first years on the team. They’re all learning our system, they’re all learning (about) us as people.  This year, we have a lot returning, who know who we are, they know what the expectations are. That takes some of that teaching part away from practice and allows us to really work on competing and taking it one possession at a time. – Emily Garner

8. Yale (39 points)
Head coach: Dalila Eshe (fourth season at Yale; 24-44)
Last season: 4-23 (3-11, seventh place – tie)
Last Ivy titles: Regular season (1979), Ivy tournament (none)
Last Ivy tournament appearance: 2022
Last NCAA appearance: none

Key Returns
Kiley Capstraw (Sr., F): 27 games/27 starts, 29.7 mpg, 5.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.6 apg
Marissa Chapman (So., G): 26 games/22 starts, 24.o mpg, 4.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Luisa Vydrova (Jr., F): 29 games/27 starts, 9.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.4 apg

Key Losses
Mackenzie Egger (graduation, G/F): 26 games/26 starts, 34.3 mpg, 15.3 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 1.8 spg
Grace Thybulle (graduation, F): 22 games/20 starts, 23.3 mpg, 7.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.7 apg
Avery Lee (graduation, G): 26 games/22 starts, 25.1 mpg, 5.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.8 apg

Key Nonconference Games
11/14 at St. John’s
11/18 vs Quinnipiac
12/3 vs Bryant

“We want to be a team that defends, we want to rebound, and we want to run. So, we’ve been focusing a lot on pushing the pace. I think we want more possessions, and we actually score the ball better in the open court. Understanding how much our defense can translate to our offense is a lot of fun to play, and it’s also a lot of fun to watch. It’s a fun version of basketball, and we’ve been dialed in on it. We are flying down the floor, and they are working so hard. It’s been incredible to watch them challenge themselves and get over the hump. And the other pieces we talked a lot about are discipline and our details… Where we fall short is a lot of times, we get a mental lapse, and the details go out the window, or a little discipline goes out the window. We’ve been able to show them…if we just clean this up, we’re a significantly different team.” – Dalila Eshe