INDIANAPOLIS – The Horizon League announced the results of the 2025-26 women's basketball preseason poll on Thursday morning, with Milwaukee selected to finish ninth.
 
This year's Milwaukee squad has much to look forward to with returning All-League honorees Payton Rechlicz (All-Freshman Team in 2024-25), and Jorey Buwalda (All-Freshman Team in 2023-24), along with six other returners, three transfers, and four true freshmen.
 
In addition to the pair of returning honorees, Milwaukee welcomes back Grace Lomen, Jada Williams, Izzy Pugh, and Sophia Rampulla, all of whom saw time on the court for the Panthers in 2024-25. Kendall Barnes and Cece McNair will also look to contribute after redshirting a year ago.
 
Joining the team as transfers are a pair of NJCAA All-Americans: Rita Gomes and Micayla Silas, who come to Milwaukee after playing in Arizona each of the past two years. The Panthers also welcome Valerie Cassidy-De Falco, a transfer from Eastern Washington, after one season with the Eagles.
 
Milwaukee's four true freshmen have strong experience from their prep days, with the class featuring Lizzy Favret, Madison Fitzgibbon, Tierney Madigan, and Olivia Olson.
 
Head coach Kyle Rechlicz also welcomes assistant coach Fletcher Brown back for his second season, while the new-look staff features Associate Head Coach John Pfaffl, as well as assistants Lanyce Williams, Hannah Whitish, and AJ Ediger, who bring tremendous playing backgrounds and coaching experiences to the Milwaukee roster.
 
The Panthers finished last season in 11th place in the league, falling to sixth-seeded Detroit Mercy in the Horizon League Championship First Round at Calihan Hall in early March.
 
This year's season gets underway with nine-straight non-conference games, including home matchups against Loyola Chicago in the season opener on Nov. 3, Western Michigan (Nov. 13), and Marquette (Nov. 19) before opening Horizon League play at home against Youngstown State on Dec. 5.
 
The Panthers will wrap up out-of-league play with home games against Ripon (Dec. 14) and Wisconsin Lutheran (Dec. 20) at home before resuming league play at IU Indy on Dec. 29. As the calendar turns to 2026, Milwaukee will host Robert Morris (Jan. 2), Cleveland State (Jan. 4), Green Bay (Jan. 17), Detroit Mercy (Jan. 22), Oakland (Jan. 24), and wrap up the month at home against Wright State on Jan. 31.
 
The team will be home just three times in February against Northern Kentucky (Feb. 12), Purdue Fort Wayne (Feb. 25), and IU Indy (Feb. 28) in the regular season finale.
 
The revamped Horizon League Championship will begin with the "Play-In" on Mar. 2, and the First Round on Mar. 4. The remaining five teams will head to Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis for the Second Round (Mar. 8), semifinals (Mar. 9), and League Championship game on Mar. 10, with the winner earning the league's automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship.