SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – South Dakota State was tabbed to hoist the Summit League Women’s Basketball regular season trophy and Jackrabbit forward Brooklyn Meyer once again was named the Preseason Player of the Year for the 2025-26 season, League officials released Tuesday. The voting panel included the League’s nine head coaches, sports information directors, and select media members.
The Jackrabbits, who finished the 2024-25 League season with a perfect 16-0 record, enters the new campaign atop the preseason poll. Last season, SDSU went unbeaten for the fourth time in the last five years and secured 558 points, including 34 of the 36 available first-place votes.
North Dakota State, who finished third a year ago, was the runner-up in the poll, receiving 498 points and the remaining two first-place votes. The Bison wrapped up the 2024-25 season 21-12 overall with a 11-5 mark in league action.
Oral Roberts, who finished in second place to the Jackrabbits last season with a 12-4 league record, was selected to finish third, earning 410 points. Cophie Anderson takes the reigns of the ORU program after the Golden Eagles fell to South Dakota State in last season’s Summit League Tournament Championship game.
South Dakota was tabbed to finish fourth with 320 points. The Coyote women are led by second-year head coach Carrie Eighmey. Eighmey collected 11 wins in her first season at the helm for the Yotes, with five of them coming in league play.
St. Thomas was picked fifth with 305 points, which is one spot back of where the Tommies finished their fourth season as a league member. Last season was the best finish for the program since its transition to the Division I level, wrapping up the season 17-13 overall and 9-7 in league play.
Kansas City and North Dakota, who shared fifth place a season ago, followed in the poll at sixth and seventh, respectively. The Roos collected 291 points, while the Fighting Hawks, who will be under the direction of first-year head coach Dennis Hutter, tallied 251.
Omaha, who has a new head coach as well in Jamie Carey, and Denver rounded out the poll in eighth and ninth place, respectively. The Mavericks gathered 121 points, while the Pioneers closed things out with 101 points.
Meyer, the 2023-24 Summit League Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, enters the season as the league’s second-highest returning scorer behind Oral Roberts’ Jalei Oglesby. The Larchwood, Iowa, native averaged 18.3 ppg and 5.7 rpg in Summit play a year ago while ranking first in field goal percentage (.693) and fifth in blocked shots (1.0 bpg).
Joining Meyer and Oglesby, who averaged 18.8 ppg a season ago for the Golden Eagles, on the Preseason All-Summit League first team is SDSU’s Madison Mathiowetz, Kansas City’s Emani Bennett, and the North Dakota State duo of Avery Koenen and Jocelyn Schiller.
Koenen, Meyer, and Oglesby return as All-League First Team honorees from last season, while Schiller earned a spot on the Preseason All-Summit League First Team after capturing Freshman of the Year honors in her debut season at North Dakota.
The Preseason All-Summit League Second Team is comprised of North Dakota’s Walker Demers, North Dakota State’s Marisa Frost, South Dakota’s Angelina Robles, and the South Dakota State duo of Maggie Hartwig and Katie Vasecka. Frost and Vasecka earned a spot on the Preseason All-Summit League Second Team after landing All-Freshman Team honors in their respective debut seasons.
Points for the preseason poll were compiled on a 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis, while all-league teams were compiled on an 11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. The top six vote-getters earned first-team honors and the next five were selected to the second team. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own student-athletes or team.
2025-26 Preseason Summit League Player of the Year
Brooklyn Meyer, South Dakota State*
2025-26 Preseason All-Summit League First Team
Emani Bennett, Kansas City, Jr., G (15.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg)#
Avery Koenen, North Dakota State, Jr., F (14.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg)#
Madison Mathiowetz, South Dakota State, Sr., G (8.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg)#
Brooklyn Meyer, South Dakota State, Sr., F (17.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.9 apg)#
Jalei Oglesby, Oral Roberts, R-Sr., G (17.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg)#
Jocelyn Schiller, North Dakota State, So., G (13.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.9 apg)#@
2025-26 Preseason All-Summit League Second Team
Walker Demers, North Dakota, Sr., C (9.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg)#
Marisa Frost, North Dakota State, So., G (9.9 ppg, 1.9 apg)#
Maggie Hartwig, South Dakota State, Jr., F (16.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg)&
Angelina Robles, South Dakota, Sr., G (9.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg)#^
Katie Vasecka, South Dakota State, So., G (8.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg)#
#Stats from 2024-25 Summit League games
&Stats from 2024-25 Missouri Valley Conference games
^Played for the University of Denver
@Played for the University of North Dakota
*Preseason player of the year automatically earns a spot on the first team
2025-26 Summit League Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll
| Rank |
School |
Points (1st) |
2024-25 Record (SL) |
| 1. |
South Dakota State |
558 (34) |
30-4 (16-0) |
| 2. |
North Dakota State |
498 (2) |
21-12 (11-5) |
| 3. |
Oral Roberts |
410 |
24-9 (12-4) |
| 4. |
South Dakota |
320 |
11-20 (5-11) |
| 5. |
St. Thomas |
305 |
17-13 (9-7) |
| 6. |
Kansas City |
291 |
11-22 (6-10) |
| 7. |
North Dakota |
251 |
12-19 (6-10) |
| 8. |
Omaha |
121 |
14-17 (5-11) |
| 9. |
Denver |
101 |
9-21 (2-14) |
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