(WILMINGTON, Ohio) – The Wilmington College women's basketball team begins their 2026-27 campaign tomorrow evening in Hermann Court for their Quaker Bowl rivalry vs. Earlham College at 5:30 P.M.

A Look Back
The Quakers finished last year with a 6-19 overall record and were 3-13 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC).

Wilmington will be without Second Team All-OAC performer Stephanie Altstaetter this season, who led the charge for the Quakers on offense and defense.

"Last year was about building our culture, and establishing that," said Quakers second year Head Coach Shauna Watson. "We had a really young team; I think for us it's just about the growth and maturity and focusing on the little things to increase our level of success."

Key Returners
The Quakers return many of their major pieces from last year's team. This includes senior guard Gabby Russell, sophomore guard Jazz Johnson, junior forward Ashton Harris, senior guard Katie Dryer, senior forward Olivia Trusty, and junior guard Sierra McCoin.

Russell finished second on the team with 277 points, averaging 11.1 points per game. She led the team with 40 steals, while finishing second on the team in rebounds with 112, assists with 54, and blocks with 10. Speaking about Russell, Coach Watson simply said, "she is going to contribute a lot for us."

Johnson was third on the team with 223 points, and led the team with 56 assists, and was second with 32 steals. During her first season, it was a transition for her to become the point guard of the team, a position that Coach Watson needed her to step in and play. "Jazz was unique last year, I developed her into a point guard, and she bought into that role and kind of took on a really big responsibility as a freshman. I'm excited to see her growth this season."

Harris will look to become a big part of the Quakers team this season. As someone that has struggled with injuries during her first two years in a Wilmington uniform, Coach Watson is excited about her growth and attitude as a player. "She is very consistent, she shows up every day with a good attitude, she works hard and tries to do the right thing, she does the little things for the team that don't always show up on the stat sheet."

Speaking about her spot on the team this year, Harris said, "I think my role will have to be going from just being a role model to actually scoring the ball and looking to score the ball and looking to dish the ball and being more active offensively."

Dryer, who played in every game last year for Wilmington, has extra motivation this season as a senior. "Knowing that it's my last season, my last time, I'm going to take my last steps on the court really is giving me motivation to put everything in that I have and hopefully it's going to pay off this season."

Trusty played in every game for Wilmington last season and finished third on the team in rebounds with 103 and blocks with eight.

McCoin was third in the OAC last season with 47 made three pointers and is also one of the best free throw shooters in the conference, ending last season at 33 of 36 from the charity stripe.

Newcomers
Making their collegiate debuts for the Quakers this season are freshmen Layla Marconi and Hannah Weaver.

The team has several transfers this season for the Quakers looking to make an impact. They are juniors Bianca Wyatt and Melanie Wyatt from Lincoln Trail College, and Madison Yanka from Tiffin University.

Coaching Staff
Entering her second season is Shauna Watson, while Sam Ervin enters her first season as the Quakers assistant coach.

Season Outlook
Wilmington begins play tomorrow in the Quaker Bowl vs. Earlham College before hosting the Fred Raizk Memorial Tournament this weekend. They play Manchester University on Saturday night before hosting Hanover College on Sunday afternoon.

OAC play begins for Wilmington on December 5th at Heidelberg University, before their full-time conference action starts at home on January 2nd vs. Marietta College. 

Goals that Coach Watson talked about for the Quakers this season are double digit wins and advancing to the OAC Tournament.

Expect to see an up tempo and exciting brand of basketball from Wilmington College this season.