The 2025-26 Sunshine State Conference women’s basketball season might look a lot like the 2024-25 season.
Last season Tampa and Embry-Riddle tied for the conference regular-season championship. This season, they both are loaded again and conference coaches foresee something close to another dead heat. Tampa, which is shooting for the 10th conference title in season history, came out as No. 1 in a preseason poll of conference coaches. The Spartans got five first-place votes. Despite receiving six first-place votes, Embry-Riddle came in at No. 2.
The SSC is one of the strongest conferences in all of Division II and this year doesn’t look to be much different. Aside from Tampa and Embry-Riddle, Eckerd, Lynn, Florida Southern and Palm Beach Atlantic all appear to have enough talent to finish in the top half of the conference. Meantime, Saint Leo and Barry appear to be poised to be conference sleepers.
Here’s a preview and rankings for the 2025-26 Sunshine State Conference women’s basketball season:
1. TAMPA
The Spartans should have one of the SSC’s top backcourts, led by returning starter Olivia Davis, who scored in double digits 13 times last season. She’ll be joined in the backcourt Gioergia Palmieri, who was a key reserve last season. Alanis Diaz, a transfer from Saint Leo where she averaged 13 points a game last season, can play both guard and forward. Up front, the Spartans will look to 6-foot-3 center Ryan Franklin for scoring and rebounding. Franklin averaged 14.3 points and collected 217 rebounds while playing for Missouri Southern State University last season.
2. EMBRY-RIDDLE
The Eagles were ranked No. 12 in the nation in the Division II preseason poll and should have one of the conference’s best front lines. Forward Anye’ Staton was a third team All-SSC selection last season when she averaged 8.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. She’ll be joined by freshman Jareah Branch, who scored 15 points and grabbed five rebounds in her first college game, a win over Montevallo on Friday. The Eagles also expect Northern Iowa transfer Elianna Sheplee to get important minutes.
3. NOVA SOUTHEASTERN
New coach Heather Macy, who previously coached at Barry, starts off with a team that was ranked No. 19 in the nation in the Division II preseason poll. Macy’s roster will look a lot different than what the Sharks put on the floor last season. The top four players for Nova Southeastern are all transfers. Junior-college guard Birdie McCann (Chestnut Hill Community College) led the Sharks with 22 points in a season-opening win against Auburn-Montgomery and Morehead State transfer Celeste Reed recorded a double-double in the opener. The Sharks also landed last season’s SSC Freshman of the Year, Kaliyiah Morales, who averaged 11.2 points per game while at Barry last season. Shawnee State transfer Markayla Holland also expected to play a big role.
4. ECKERD
The strength for the Tritons is in the backcourt where junior Jaylen Ostenson (11.2 points and 5 rebounds per game last season) and senior Leva Korane (11 points per game last season). Senior Emma Egan, who came off the bench last season, scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a season-opening loss to West Florida on Saturday. The Tritons also are counting on a pair of international players — junior forard Sarah Racaud (France) and junior guard Hekla Nokkavdottir (Iceland) — to be key contributors.
5. FLORIDA SOUTHERN
Senior guard Sydney Gomes just might be the best overall player in the conference. Last season, Gomes averaged 15.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists. In one game this season (an opening win against Alabama-Huntsville), she put up another impressive stat line with a career-high 33 points and four steals. But Gomes won’t have to be a one-woman show at the Lakeland-based school. Senior forward Carlota Gomez Alonso, a transfer from Abilene Christian, is expected to be a force in the frontcourt where she’ll get plenty of rebounding help from sophomore forward Nia Blocton.
6. LYNN
The Fighting Knights will be led by junior three-point specialist Trinity Mocadlo, who averaged 9.8 points per game last season. Up front, Lynn is counting on big things from transfer forward Serena Baker, who averaged 10.3 points and 5.8 rebounds for USC-Aiken last season and 6-foot freshman Tessa O’Leary.
7. PALM BEACH ATLANTIC
The Sailfish will be built around the conference’s most experience point guard, Anabel Ellison. She arrived at PBA last season after previously playing for Division I Stetson. She’ll be joined in the backcourt by another Division I transfer, KB Hadley (Siena). Up front, the Sailfish will look to Blanche Toualeu, who grew up in London and spent last season at Salt Lake Community College, for scoring and rebounding.
8. SAINT LEO
New coach Charles Marshall, who spent the last nine seasons at West Virginia State, has only one scholarship player — junior guard Olivia Agunzo — returning from last season’s team. The transition should be eased by the fact that Marshall brought along former West Virginia State point guard Hallie Bailey with him. The Lions will rely on a bunch of transfers, highlighted by guard Paula Llovich, who is from Spain and previously played at Seton Hill University, and forward Mira Hanna, who played at Evansville last season after starting her career at Little Rock. Marshall is particularly excited about having 6–foot-3 freshman center, Zoey O’Leary, who the coach said already is his best post player.
9. BARRY
After transferring in from USC Aiken, Kendall Parker is expected to start at point guard and be one of the leaders for the Buccaneers. The top recruit is Paola Pareja Xargayo, a guard from Spain. The Buccaneers also hope to get some production from another international player, Maria Braga who spent last season at Christian Brothers University and is originally from Brazil.
10. ROLLINS
The top returner for the Tars is sophomore forward Zai Mitchell, who scored 20 points in last week’s season-opening with against the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. She’ll be joined in the backcourt by senior guard Claire Erickson. Freshman Elaina Kline- Ruminiski is the top recruit for Rollins.
11. FLORIDA TECH
The Panthers will have an almost entirely new look. In early-season play, freshman guard Nandinkhusel Nyamaiv, from Mongolia, and junior forward Elif Bayrak, a Fresno State transfer, have been the team’s top players. Florida Tech also is hoping to get some inside production from 6-foot-1 center Amanda Ogbonna, a transfer from Columbus State and Mikayla Morin, the only significant returner from last season’s Florida Tech team.
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