ST. LOUIS, Mo. – A season after reaching the Sweet 16, the Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team enters the 2026-27 season ranked No. 7 in the D3hoops.com Preseason poll.
 
The Bears are picked to finish second in the UAA preseason coaches poll. Senior Lexy Harris was named earlier this week to the D3hoops.com Preseason All-America First Team.
 
25^th Annual McWilliams Classic
WashU opens the season at home by hosting the 25th Annual McWilliams Classic on Friday, Nov. 6 and Saturday, Nov. 7. The Bears open against Central (IA) on Friday at 5 p.m. The other first-round game will be an all-Eagle matchup as (RV) Wis.-Whitewater takes on Benedictine (Ill.) at 1 p.m.
 
Last season, Central finished 12-14 overall, falling in the American Rivers Conference quarterfinals. The Bears and Dutch have played six times previously, with the head-to-head record tied at 3-3; however, it has been 16 years since the two programs have played each other. Central returns its top scorer from last season, Emily Naughton, who averaged 11.2 points per game.
 
UW-Whitewater and WashU opened the season together last year, with the Eagles escaping with a 63-58 win over the Bears in Whitewater. They finished the season with a 20-9 overall record after receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and reaching the second round. WashU holds the slight edge in the head-to-head record, 2-1. The Eagles also return their leading scorer in Mia Gillis, who averaged 12.9 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game.
 
The other half of the all-Eagle contest, Benedictine, finished last season with a 17-9 record, falling in the quarterfinals of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference tournament. Last season, the Bears opened the McWilliams Classic with a 95-53 win over the Eagles in the first-ever meeting between the two teams. Allison Jarvis returns for Benedictine as their leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
 
The consolation game will be on Saturday at 12 p.m., with the championship game getting started at 4 p.m.
 
The McWilliams Classic is the season-opener for all teams participating.
 
Schedule
It will be a quick turnaround for the Bears following the McWilliams Classic as they travel to Elmhurst on Tuesday, Nov. 10 for a midday game at 2 p.m. After a short break, WashU returns home on Sunday, Nov. 22 when it hosts Millikin at 1 p.m.
 
Immediately following Thanksgiving, WashU will participate in the annual Midwest Challenge, hosted by DePauw this season. First up for WashU will be a top-10 matchup against No. 9 Trine on Saturday, Nov. 28 at 2 p.m. The other first-round matchup features (RV) DePauw against (RV) Illinois Wesleyan, also at 2 p.m. The consolation game is the following day, Sunday, Nov. 29, at 2 p.m., with the championship game to follow at 4 p.m.
 
The Bears are then back home on Wednesday, Dec. 2, when they host Blackburn at 7 p.m. WashU stays home six days later, on Tuesday, Dec. 8, when it hosts Greenville at 7 p.m. as well.
 
The following three games are on the road, starting with a trip to Westminster (Mo.) on Thursday, Dec. 17 for a 2 p.m. contest. Right before New Year's, the team will travel west to the D3 Hoops Classic in Las Vegas. On Tuesday, Dec. 29, the Bears face Redlands at 10 a.m. PT. The next day, Wednesday, Dec. 30, WashU faces Linfield at 4 p.m. PT. All games for the D3 Hoops Classic are at the South Point Hotel/Arena.
 
WashU then kicks off 2027 by getting right into the UAA portion of its season at home.
 
The Bears will start off with a home contest against No. 10 Chicago on Saturday, Jan. 9 with a 1 p.m. tipoff. The following weekend, the Bears travel to Rochester for an evening showdown on Friday, Jan. 15 at 5:30 p.m. ET. WashU wraps up the quick road trip on Sunday, Jan. 17 when it visits (RV) Emory for a 2 p.m. ET tipoff.
 
Back home the following weekend, the Bears will host Brandeis on Friday, Jan. 22 at 5:30 p.m. The game is serving as the team's HardyStrong Game. No. 2 New York University then visits the Field House on Sunday, Jan. 24 for a 2 p.m. Contest.
 
WashU is back on the road the next weekend, beginning with a visit to Case Western Reserve on Friday, Jan. 29. The contest with the Spartans is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET. A visit to No. 25 Carnegie Mellon on Sunday, Jan. 31 concludes the road trip with a 2 p.m. ET start.
 
The Bears then begin to play at the opposite location of each of their UAA opponents over the following four weeks, starting with a four-game homestand. Games include CWRU on Feb. 5 at 5:30 p.m., Carnegie Mellon on Feb. 7 at 2 p.m., Rochester on Feb. 12 at 5:30 p.m., and Emory on Feb. 14 at 2 p.m. The final three games of the regular season are on the road at Brandeis on Feb. 19 at 5:30 p.m. ET, NYU on Feb. 21 at 2 p.m., and Chicago on Feb. 27 at 1 p.m.
 
Personnel
Graduating only one senior a year ago, WashU returns 1,722 of its 1,949 points scored from a year ago, led by Harris, who led the team with 512 points, averaging 18.3 points per game. Seniors Sidney Rogers and Alyssa Hughes also return after averaging double figures with 12.5 ppg and 10.8 ppg, respectively. Hughes led the team in three-pointers with 69 on .418 shooting from beyond the arc.
 
Harris also led the team in rebounding with 256, averaging 9.1 per game. She finished the season with 10 double-doubles.
 
Another returning, starting senior is Catherine Goodwin, who started all 28 games last year, averaging 6.7 points per game while dishing out 83 assists. Other seniors, who are back, include Amelia Rosin and Sydney Starks. Rosin played in all 28 games with 115 rebounds, while Starks played in 25 games with two starts.
 
WashU picked up a pair of transfers during the offseason. Graduate student Diana Burgher comes in from DePauw, where she helped the Tigers to three-straight NCAC titles. Senior Annika Pluemer comes in from nearby Division II Maryville after playing all 32 games for the Saints.
 
The junior class features five returners. Tara Murphy, Cecilia O'Grady, Ava Blagojevich, Hope Drake, and Emilee Travnicek combined to score 114 points over the course of the season.
 
A trio of returning sophomores includes Molly Friesen, Reid Seddelmeyer, and Maggie Helms.
 
There are six first-year members of the program. Marycait Mackie, Tess Krieger, Zoey Mehmert, Arianna Benjamin, Maddie Chabot, and Anna Sachire make their collegiate debuts for the Bears this season.
 
WashU is under the direction of third-year head coach Lisa Stone. She is once again assisted by Katie Hempen, Carter Oesterling, and Michael Fitzgerald.
 

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