With limited insight on how so many newcomers will effect their teams, it’s too early to prognosticate, so here are some details on each program in alphabetic order:

Davidson: The Wildcats lost Charlise Dunn, who was among the A10’s most dynamic players and someone who was extremely tough on GW teams. Six returning rotation players, led by Kate Donovan and Kyra Bruyndoncx should keep Davidson in the upper tier of the conference. Coach (Gayle) Fulks is one of the better A10 coaches and has an eye for international talent-- the source for all four of their freshman recruits for the upcoming season.Dayton: The Flyers had a so-so season last year and lost their two top players in Nayo Lear and Nicole Stevens. This year’s squad will be led by guard Olivia Leung, and 6’3” Center Fatima Ibrahim, who showed a lot of promise towards the end of last season. Coach (Tamika) Williams-Jeter will rely on Memphis transfer Cori Allen, and what looks to be a solid freshmen class, to offset the scoring loss left by the graduation of their two guards.

Duquesne: The Dukes are coming off a bad year and lost four of their best players (Alexis Bordas, MacKenzie Blackford, Harriet Ford, and Reina Green) to the portal. Coach (Dan) Burt added some scoring potential with transfers Denaya Rippey and Carla Viegas, but the five freshman recruits (all international) are unknown quantities, so it’s not clear whether this years roster will be able to improve on last year’s performance.

Fordham: The Rams’ new Coach (Neil) Harrow, fresh off a 20-win season at LIU, will have his work cut out for him. Fordham lost their top scorer in Alexis Black, but even with Black’s 16.3 ppg, the Rams could only manage a 2-16 record in conference play. Fordham has a pair of transfers and two freshman recruits coming in, but the current roster, led by returning starters Lakresha Edwards and Carryn Easley, may not be able to produce major improvements from last season’s squad.

George Mason: The Patriots finished with a share of the regular season A10 crown, but only Mary Amoateng (All A10 rookie) returns from last season’s starting line-up. GMU was hit hard by the transfer of all league players Zahirah Walton and Kennedy Harris. Coach (Vanessa) Blair-Lewis was able to get a potential scoring threat in Avonia Sheals (14.1 ppg at Austin Peay). Six other transfers and a pair of freshman recruits could help, but achieving last year’s success will be a challenge.

GW: The Revs, who ended last season on a high note, return five of their top six players (Lewis, Reynolds, Sims, Becker, and Wilson) from last year’s rotation. Through the portal, Coach G added Alicia Newell, Anne Bair and Amor Harris in the backcourt, significantly improving the guard rotation on both sides of the ball. Whether the front court additions (Cam Rust and N’na Konate) can compensate for the loss of Theodorsson and Loving remains to be seen, particularly on the defensive end against the taller and more physical A10 opponents. The three freshman recruits look to have a lot of potential, but with a solid and experienced roster, Coach G will not have to prematurely press them into service. Look for substantial improvement in the team’s overall performance this season.

La Salle: The Explorers were a solid squad last season, but Coach (Mountain) MacGillivray lost possibly the A10’s best backcourt (Arlyss Macktoon and Ashleigh Conner) to the portal. Last year’s starters, Joan Quinn and Kiara Williams, are joined by transfer Vivien Nejasmic (Xavier) and five freshman recruits that include Sophi Hutchinson, last season’s West Virginia POY. In spite of the additions, La Salle will be hard pressed to replace the backcourt that scored over 30 ppg between them. Macktoon was also the A10’s Defensive POY.

Loyola Chicago: New Coach (Morgan) Paige, formerly the Assistant HC at Kansas, is rebuilding the Ramblers’ roster, primarily through the transfer portal. The loss of leading scorer Alexus Mobley (to graduation), and the trio of Alex-Anne Bessette, Alexa Kinas, and Roisin Grandbury (to the transfer portal) left some big holes to fill. Of the six new transfers, five are coming from power conferences and all but Mirela Jurado (who had 15 starts at Arizona), have limited game experience. The Ramblers’ added just a single freshman, so for this new coach, her reconstructed roster will be a work in progress.

Rhode Island: A successful season landed Tammy Reiss a gig at Florida. With Brooklyn Gray and Ines Debroise graduating, and Vanessa Harris, Palmire Mbu, Albina Syla opting for the portal, new Coach (Colleen) Mullin has some significant talent to replace. Mullin was able to bring four of her best players from last year’s Albany squad to URI. Mia Fiore, a high scoring guard from Merrimack, and four freshman recruits were also added to the team. The Albany connection may make integration less of an issue, but the talent gap will challenge the Rams and make it highly unlikely for them reach the heights of last season’s A10 co-champions.

Richmond: The Spiders’ success also resulted in a coaching change with Aaron Roussell moving on to the University of Virginia. Coach (Alisa) Kresge, formerly HC at Vermont, will have to deal with the loss of Maggie Doogan (A10-POY) and Rachel Ullstrom (All-A10) due to graduation, as well as Alicia Newell, who transferred to GW. Richmond was able to secure a commitment from Harriet Ford from Duquesne, as well as seven freshman recruits. Returning starter Ally Sweeny (All-A10) will lead a young group of players next season, so it may take a season or two before Richmond can reclaim it’s position as a top-tier A10 squad.

Saint Bonaventure: The Bonnies over performed last season, winning 7 A10 contests, despite being picked to finish last. That was due in large part to Laycee Drake and Aaliyah Parker, who graduated in this past spring. Coach (Jim) Crowley was able to add a trio of transfers and two freshman recruits-- graduate transfer Kay Donahue (Lafayette) seems to be the most promising, but she sat out last season due to injury. Returning starter Mackenzie Pettinelli (5.6 ppg) will lead a fairly young and inexperienced squad that will sorely miss the presence of Drake and Parker.

Saint Joseph’s: Coach (Cindy) Griffin’s Hawks’ squad finished 5th in the A10 last year and lost only one player (Faith Stinson) from last season’s staring rotation. SJU returns All-A10 guards Gabby Casey and Aleah Snead to lead an experienced Hawks roster. Forward Deja Evans was a double-figure scorer at Drexel, and with fellow transfer Maddie Potts from Syracuse, will strengthen an already solid core of players. A trio of high-scoring freshman recruits round out the roster, a roster that will be one the strongest overall in the conference this year.

Saint Louis: The Billikens lost their leader Alexis Nelson to graduation, but bring back Alyssa Koerkenmeier, an All-A10 player as a freshman, who dominated inside play at the end of last season. The 6’6” Center averaged 12.1 ppg and led the A10 in rebounding at a 9.5 rpg. Returning guards Zya Nugent and Jahda Denis averaged double figures in scoring. Coach (Rebecca) Tillett added a pair of transfers and four freshman recruits to the roster. Tyonna Bailey, a 1st-Team All Big-South selection, may provide another prolific scorer to the mix. The Billikens only finished 5-13 in league play last season despite the talent, but if Tillett can build team chemistry around Koerkenmeier, the Billikens will be a team to keep an eye on.

Virginia Commonwealth: VCU has fallen on bad times, and new Coach (Chelsea) Branbury, formerly of High Point, looks to have big challenges ahead. The Rams lost Mary-Anne Asare to injury last year, and then to the portal (UVA) for the upcoming season. Three starters (Katarina Knezevic, Cyriah Griffin, and Makennah White) from last year’s 4-14 squad return, but so far, VCU has only been able to add a pair of transfers (both from High Point) to the team, and does not list any freshman recruits on a roster that currently lists only eight players. Help may be on the way, but this looks like it could be a tough year for VCU.

The A10 coaches will weigh in on Media day, which has yet to be scheduled, but is imminent, and their preseason projections will reflect their insight/knowledge of the incoming talent.

Last edited by xAC (9/26/2026 11:21 am)