LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- The Millersville University women's basketball team finds themselves in the middle of the pack, notching the No. 5 spot in the 2025–2026 PSAC Preseason Poll that released Thursday, October 30, at 12 p.m. Down one spot from where they ultimately finished last year with a 16–13 record (11–10 in PSAC play).
The Marauders return one total starter from the year prior in rising senior, Morgan Mahoney. Mahoney averaged 7.2 PPG on 42.2% from the field and also gathered 4.1 RPG, which were all career highs for the forward from Milton, Delaware.
When asked about her team's loss of experience, head coach Kira Mowen had this insight: "I think it's definitely exciting... it gives other people more opportunities to step up and see what their leadership looks like, what their scoring capacity could look like... I think just the youthfulness of developing this squad and kind of building the pieces by not going with some of the old things we used to do from an offensive or defensive perspective, but changing it and adapting it to who we have now is exciting."
Youthfulness does not go understated; of the 16 Marauders on the roster, eleven of them are underclassmen, with five being sophomores and six being freshmen.
Another returner who came into her own at the end of last season is Rhyan Mitchell, a forward from Carlisle, Pa. In her sophomore year, Mitchell posted a 5.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG stat line.
The light at the end of the tunnel is that while experience is lost, fresh legs are gained with a young group. Coach Mowen said, "While underclassmen don't have the experience, their bodies have not been worn by the college game yet. So, they are anxious, they are ready to go and I think that is something that is going to be fun for us this year because we have that youth to be able to get up and go... from a pace perspective, they are definitely ready."
Mowen, who was hired in June of 2023, is entering a season where she will have two of her full recruiting classes under her belt as the leader for the women's basketball team.
When asked about her team's goals, Mowen started with one thing: "A championship," she said. "I feel as a head coach your goal should always be a championship, but that goal might look differently than it has in years past with the youth we have on our roster. I think growth is our main goal. With a young team you have to grow day by day and I think not looking too far down the field of play and solely look towards our first match up. In a coach's mind, the goal is always get into playoff play and see what you can do in playoffs because at that point it's March Madness for a reason and the ball can roll a certain way the whole year and can take a turn once it hits March."
The Marauders will look to stack good days on top of each other as they strive to reach the ultimate goal—March Madness.
Lack of experience means a surplus in pace, and the Marauders will most certainly look to push the pace in their first game as their season opens on November 14 against Lincoln University at the Conference Challenge in Shippensburg, Pa.
2025-26 PSAC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll (# of first place votes in parentheses)
EAST
1. Lock Haven (6)
2. Kutztown (3)
3. Bloomsburg
4. West Chester
5. Millersville
6. East Stroudsburg
7. Shippensburg
8. Shepherd
9. Mansfield
WEST
1. Gannon (7)
2. Seton Hill (1)
3. IUP
4. California
5. Clarion
6. Edinboro
7. Slippery Rock
8. Pitt-Johnstown
