Last season: 15-11 overall, 12-4 UE regular season, 12-5 all UE.

Coach: Britni Mohney, sixth season. Career record: 45-80.

Top returnees: (height, position, last season stats)SophomoreGigi Parlante, of Williamsport (5-10 forward, 15.1 points per game, 10.8 rebounds per game, 59 assists, 47 steals, 14 blocked shots); junior Kenni Galbreath, of Shrewsbury (5-3 guard, 5.5 ppg., 3.6 rpg.); senior Lexi Troup, of Huntingdon (5-6 guard, 10.8 ppg., 4.8 rpg.); senior Mia Patterson, of Loyalsock Township (5-9 forward, 3.7 ppg., 4.5 rpg.); sophomore RaeAnna Andreas, of Berwick (5-7 guard, 3.5 ppg., 1.7 rpg.).

Key losses: Rachel Teats (11.4 ppg., 6.3 rpg.), Emily Pardee (9 ppg., 5 rpg.)

Top newcomers: Sophomore Breana Valentine, of Fairfield (5-8 guard, 6.4 ppg., 4.7 rpg. in 27 games at Mary Washington), sophomore Hailey Theuret, of Rimersburg (5-6 guard, 2.8 ppg., 3.2 rpg. in 26 games at Penn State DuBois).

Outlook: Coming off its best season in the program’s NCAA era that began in 2014, and its best overall record since 2008-09, the Wildcats again are expected to be led by Parlante, who led the team in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocked shots, along with being named to the UE first team and the conference’s Rookie of the Year.

“We had one of our best seasons in recent history. This was based on our shift in mentality; we truly believed we could win. With our key contributors and our newcomers who have previous collegiate experience, we are running with that same mindset into the 2025-26 season. Our culture and standards remain the same: maintain solid defense and rebounding, while looking to improve our offensive production. There is room to raise the ceiling offensively, and with the athleticism we have on the team this year, we are really looking to push the tempo. We look to take our schedule game by game, improving as the season progresses, which will hopefully lead us to compete near the top of the conference again — gaining that momentum to make a deep playoff run, (and) advancing further than our recent years,” Mohney said. 

Inside the UE: In a preseason poll, Penn College holds the No. 5 spot. With 14 teams vying for 10 playoff positions, St. Mary’s (Md.) College earned the top position, followed by Penn State Abington, defending champion Gallaudet University, Penn State Harrisburg, Penn College, Notre Dame (Md.) University, Wilson College, Lancaster Bible College,  Cedar Crest College, Keystone College, Penn State Berks, Penn State Brandywine, Cairn University and Valley Forge University. Changes from last season saw Bryn Athyn and Rosemont College end their programs, and St. Elizabeth University move to the Atlantic East Conference. UEC first-round playoff games are set for Feb. 18, with the quarterfinals on Feb. 21, the semifinals on Feb. 24 and the championship on Feb. 28.

UPCOMING GAMES

Friday, Nov. 7 — at Alfred State, 4 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 8 — host Keuka College, 3 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 11 — host Penn State Mont Alto, 6 p.m.