FARMINGTON, Utah — The Big Sky conference released its preseason media and coaches poll today and Eastern Washington women's basketball has been picked to finish sixth in both polls. EWU earned 38 points in the coaches' poll and 123 in the media.
The Eagles were picked above Northern Colorado by two points in seventh, while trailing Sacramento State by 12 points for 5th place. In the media poll, EWU was three points in front of Weber State for seventh and 38 points behind Idaho State for fifth.
Montana State was picked to win the conference in both polls, getting 5-of-10 first place votes in the coaches' and 11-of-27 in the media poll.
Last season, the Eagles went 7-11 in conference and finished seventh in the standings, going 11-20 overall. As the No. 7 seed, Eastern faced the No. 8 seed, Sacramento St. in the Big Sky tournament, falling 71-67 to the Hornets.
Kourtney Grossman was named Freshman of the Year after leading the conference with 10.4 rebounds per game. She broke the Eastern freshman rebounding record with 314 total rebounds. Grossman recorded 14 double-doubles in her rookie season in Cheney.
Including Grossman, EWU returns three starters from last season with senior Ella Gallatin and sophomore Jaecy Eggers. Gallatin averaged 9.2 points per game, ranking fourth on the team, and shot 35.4 percent from the floor. Eggers developed into a strong interior player, averaging 5.6 rebounds per game to rank second on the team. She added 8.6 points per game, ranking fifth.
The three starters highlight nine total returning players for fifth-year head coach Joddie Gleason. Joining the starters are senior forward Paris Kirk, sophomore guard Léa-line Romain, sophomore guard Emily McElmurry, senior forward Addison Hall, redshirt-sophomore forward Camille Jentzsch and redshirt-junior center Bella Hays.
To strengthen the roster, Gleason brought in seven newcomers, with four true freshmen and three transfers.
The freshman class includes guard Elyn Bowers, guard Madeline Gibbs, guard Dylyn Dress and guard Emma Myers. On the transfer side, guard Autumn Agnew arrives from Salt Lake CC, guard Caitie Gingras from Cal State Bakersfield and guard Brielle Magnuson from Walla Wall JC.
EWU begins its 2025-26 season on Nov. 3 against Northwest University at Reese Court. The Eagles host Whitworth on Oct. 29 for an exhibition game, both tip off at 6 p.m.
Eastern has 13 non-conference games to prepare for Big Sky competition, with five at home.
The team travels to Spokane to play Gonzaga on Nov. 23 and will also drive down to Pullman to play Washington State on Dec. 10.
Big Sky play opens in the New Year on Jan. 3 against Idaho in Cheney. The conference schedule consists of 18 total games, split evenly between home and road games.
The 2025 Big Sky tournament returns to Boise beginning March 7 through the 11th.
2025-26 Big Sky Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
1: Montana State (5) – 74
2: Montana (3) – 72
3: Idaho (1) – 65
4: Idaho State (1) – 57
5: Sacramento State – 50
6: Eastern Washington – 38
7: Northern Colorado – 36
8: Weber State – 28
T9: Northern Arizona – 15
T9: Portland State – 15
() – Denotes First-Place Votes
2025-26 Big Sky Women's Basketball Preseason Media Poll
1: Montana State (11) – 238
2: Montana (7) – 224
3: Idaho (7) – 220
4: Sacramento State (2) – 177
5: Idaho State – 161
6: Eastern Washington – 123
7: Weber State – 120
8: Northern Arizona – 102
9: Northern Colorado – 86
10: Portland State – 34
() – Denotes First-Place Votes
Women's basketball season tickets are now on sale! Claim your seats at Reese Court for the 2025-26 season by visiting goeags.com/tickets to purchase online.
Join the Eagle Athletic Fund for as low as $50 per year! Support Eagle student-athletes on and off the field while enjoying exclusive EAF perks such as season ticket and tailgating priority, invitations to special events, exclusive access and more. Visit goeags.com/eaf for more information.
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.
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