2025–26 Mercyhurst Lakers women's basketball team

2025–26 Mercyhurst Lakers women's basketball
ConferenceNortheast Conference
Record15–16 (14–4 NEC)
Head coach
  • Erin Mills-Reid (1st season)
Assistant coaches
  • Kelly Simmons
  • Amber Renz
Home arenaOwen McCormick Court
2025–26 Northeast Conference women's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Fairleigh Dickinson † 18 – 0   1.000 30 – 4   .882
Mercyhurst* 14 – 4   .778 15 – 16   .484
LIU 14 – 4   .778 21 – 11   .656
Wagner 9 – 9   .500 13 – 17   .433
Le Moyne* 9 – 9   .500 12 – 21   .364
Chicago State 8 – 10   .444 9 – 23   .281
Stonehill 8 – 10   .444 12 – 18   .400
New Haven** 5 – 13   .278 7 – 22   .241
Saint Francis 3 – 15   .167 3 – 27   .100
Central Connecticut 2 – 16   .111 2 – 27   .069
† 2026 NEC tournament winner
* ineligible for the 2026 NCAA tournament due to transition from Division II

** ineligible for both the 2026 NEC tournament and the 2026 NCAA tournament due to transition from Division II
As of March 12, 2026

The 2025–26 Mercyhurst Lakers women's basketball team currently represents Mercyhurst University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Lakers, led by first year head coach Erin Mills-Reid, play their home games on Owen McCormick Court in the Mercyhurst Athletic Center in Erie, Pennsylvania as second-year members of the Northeast Conference (NEC).

This season is Mercyhurst's second year of a four-year transition period from Division II to Division I. As a result, the Lakers are not eligible to participate in the NCAA tournament until the 2028–29 season.

Previous season

The Lakers finished the 2024–25 season 9–18 and 6–10 in NEC play, to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place.[1]. As first-year members of Division I, they were ineligible for the NEC tournament.

On March 10, 2025, following the conclusion of the season, the school announced the firing of head coach Brooklyn Kohlheim after 6 seasons with the program in which she posted a 69–88 record.[2] On April 9, the school announced the hiring of former Lakers assistant coach Erin Mills-Reid, who was previously with the team during the 2006–07 season while they still competed in Division II.[3]

Offseason

Departures

Mercyhurst Departures
Name Num Pos. Height Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Singo Lekeuneu 1 G 5'5" Senior Buffalo, NY Graduated
Allyson Ross 3 G 5'5" Senior Columbia Station, OH Graduated
Maria McConnell 13 G 5'11" Senior Nanty Glo, PA Graduated
Ava Waid 15 G 5'6" Senior Meadville, PA Graduated
Grace Strickland 20 G 5'9" Freshman London, England Transferred to Mid-America Christian (NAIA)
Grace Clary 22 G 5'10" Graduate Student Whitehall, PA Graduated
Bailey Kuhns 34 F 5'11" Junior Mount Pleasant, PA Transferred to Robert Morris

Incoming transfers

Mercyhurst Incoming Transfers
Name Num Pos. Height Year Hometown Previous school
Lena Walz 2 G 5'10" Sophomore Erie, PA St. Bonaventure
Gabby Sweeney 13 G/F 6'1" RS Freshman East Fishkill, NY Bryant

Recruiting class

There was no recruiting class for the class of 2026.

Roster

2025–26 Mercyhurst Lakers women's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Sophia Kelly 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Jr Hampton High School Pittsburgh, PA
G 2 Lena Walz 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) So Cathedral Preparatory School
St. Bonaventure 		Erie, PA
G 3 Julia Lewis 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Fr Cherry Hill High School West Cherry Hill, NJ
G 4 Shannon Heine 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Fr Manasquan High School Spring Lake Heights, NJ
G 5 Jenna Van Schaik 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) Sr Ursuline Academy Cincinnati, OH
F 6 Imani Frazier 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) Fr Wayne High School Huber Heights, OH
G 10 Cici Hernandez 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) So Bethlehem Catholic High School Bethlehem, PA
G 11 Alena Fusetti 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) So Blackhawk High School Beaver Falls, PA
G 12 Emma Sollenne 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Fr St. Luke's School Greenwich, CT
G/F 13 Gabby Sweeney 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) RS Fr John Jay High School
Bryant 		East Fishkill, NY
G 20 Sofia Wilson 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) Fr Magnificat High School Avon Lake, OH
F 23 Lauryn Stover 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) Sr Gilmour Academy
Purdue Fort Wayne 		Gates Mills, OH
G 24 Quinn Borroni 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) RS So Blackhawk High School Beaver Falls, PA
F 32 Erica Hall 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) So South Fayette High School McDonald, PA
G 33 Ella Cupka 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) RS Fr Chartiers Valley High School Pittsburgh, PA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 4, 2025*
6:30 p.m., B1G+ 		at No. 23 Michigan State L 39–125  0–1
  9 – Tied   5 – Wilson   2 – Tied  Breslin Center (2,804)
East Lansing, MI
November 6, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Dayton L 44–86  0–2
  15 – Walz   5 – Sweeney   3 – Tied  UD Arena (2,088)
Dayton, OH
November 14, 2025*
6:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Cornell L 49–53  0–3
  15 – Walz   5 – Sweeney   3 – Tied  Owen McCormick Court (227)
Erie, PA
November 20, 2025*
6:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Youngstown State L 50–64  0–4
  16 – Walz   5 – Fusetti   5 – Van Schaik  Owen McCormick Court (332)
Erie, PA
November 23, 2025*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at No. 12 Iowa State L 62–112  0–5
  17 – Van Schaik   4 – Van Schaik   3 – Tied  Hilton Coliseum (9,581)
Ames, IA
November 30, 2025*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Canisius L 67–75  0–6
  20 – Hernandez   7 – Walz   4 – Wilson  Koessler Athletic Center (424)
Buffalo, NY
December 3, 2025*
11:00 a.m., NEC Front Row 		Robert Morris L 71–73  0–7
  23 – Van Schaik   6 – Hall   3 – Van Schaik  Owen McCormick Court (578)
Erie, PA
December 5, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at No. 25 West Virginia L 51–97  0–8
  14 – Wilson   5 – Hall   5 – Van Schaik  Hope Coliseum (2,816)
Morgantown, WV
December 12, 2025*
6:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		St. Bonaventure L 57–60  0–9
  23 – Wilson   9 – Heine   4 – Van Schaik  Owen McCormick Court (301)
Erie, PA
December 15, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Mount St. Mary's L 52–81  0–10
  26 – Hall   9 – Hall   5 – Wilson  Knott Arena (471)
Emmitsburg, MD
December 19, 2025*
10:30 a.m., ACCNX 		at Syracuse L 40–106  0–11
  14 – Hall   11 – Tied   4 – Tied  JMA Wireless Dome (10,226)
Syracuse, NY
NEC regular season
January 2, 2026
5:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Fairleigh Dickinson L 46–68  0–12
(0–1) 		 17 – Wilson   5 – Hall   2 – Wilson  Owen McCormick Court (234)
Erie, PA
January 4, 2026
1:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		at Le Moyne W 89–72  1–12
(1–1) 		 19 – Wilson   7 – Tied   5 – Tied  Ted Grant Court (192)
Syracuse, NY
January 8, 2026
6:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		LIU L 81–86  1–13
(1–2) 		 25 – Hernandez   5 – Walz   5 – Wilson  Owen McCormick Court (176)
Erie, PA
January 10, 2026
1:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Wagner W 69–66  2–13
(2–2) 		 22 – Walz   6 – Hall   4 – Hernandez  Owen McCormick Court (176)
Erie, PA
January 15, 2026
7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		at Central Connecticut W 80–63  3–13
(3–2) 		 22 – Van Schaik   6 – Walz   5 – Tied  Detrick Gymnasium (287)
New Britain, CT
January 17, 2026
1:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		at Stonehill W 63–58  4–13
(4–2) 		 24 – Hernandez   6 – Walz   4 – Van Schaik  Merkert Gymnasium (205)
Easton, MA
January 22, 2026
6:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		New Haven W 66–63  5–13
(5–2) 		 25 – Van Schaik   5 – Wilson   4 – Tied  Owen McCormick Court (263)
Erie, PA
January 24, 2026
2:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		at Chicago State W 77–76  6–13
(6–2) 		 22 – Wilson   6 – Fusetti   8 – Wilson  Jones Convocation Center (74)
Chicago, IL
January 29, 2026
6:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		at New Haven W 81–75 OT 7–13
(7–2) 		 21 – Hernandez   8 – Walz   7 – Wilson  The Hazell Center (311)
West Haven, CT
January 31, 2026
1:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Chicago State L 64–68  7–14
(7–3) 		 17 – Wilson   4 – Hall   5 – Tied  Owen McCormick Court (234)
Erie, PA
February 5, 2026
7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Saint Francis W 79–59  8–14
(8–3) 		 23 – Van Schaik   7 – Van Schaik   6 – Van Schaik  DeGol Arena (473)
Loretto, PA
February 7, 2026
1:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		at Fairleigh Dickinson L 64–84  8–15
(8–4) 		 20 – Tied   6 – Van Schaik   6 – Van Schaik  Bogota Savings Bank Center (309)
Hackensack, NJ
February 14, 2026
1:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Saint Francis
Play4Kay 		W 85–61  9–15
(9–4) 		 26 – Walz   8 – Walz   7 – Van Schaik  Owen McCormick Court (269)
Erie, PA
February 19, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Wagner W 73–67  10–15
(10–4) 		 29 – Van Schaik   10 – Wilson   5 – Wilson  Spiro Sports Center (449)
Staten Island, NY
February 21, 2026
2:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		at LIU W 58–55  11–15
(11–4) 		 17 – Tied   6 – Tied   4 – Hernandez  Steinberg Wellness Center (213)
Brooklyn, NY
February 26, 2026
12:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Central Connecticut W 75–66  12–15
(12–4) 		 21 – Tied   7 – Walz   6 – Wilson  Owen McCormick Court (312)
Erie, PA
February 28, 2026
1:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Stonehill
Senior Day 		W 68–55  13–15
(13–4) 		 24 – Hernandez   6 – Tied   5 – Wilson  Owen McCormick Court (463)
Erie, PA
March 5, 2026
6:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		Le Moyne W 72–66  14–15
(14–4) 		 19 – Hernandez   7 – Wilson   4 – Van Schaik  Owen McCormick Court (437)
Erie, PA
NEC tournament
March 9, 2026
6:00 p.m., NEC Front Row 		(2) (7) Stonehill
Quarterfinals 		W 70–64  15–15
  23 – Van Schaik   6 – Hall   5 – Van Schaik  Owen McCormick Court (409)
Erie, PA
March 12, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		(2) (3) LIU
Semifinals 		L 64–82  15–16
  28 – Van Schaik   8 – Tied   2 – Tied  Owen McCormick Court (463)
Erie, PA
WNIT
March 19, 2026
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Binghamton
Round 1 		      Owen McCormick Court 
Erie, PA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

Sources:[4][5]

References

  1. ^ "Women's College Basketball Standings - 2024-25 Northeast Conference Standings". ESPN. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  2. ^ "Mercyhurst Athletics Announces Leadership Change in Women's Basketball". Mercyhurst Athletics. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  3. ^ "Mercyhurst Welcomes Back Familiar Face to Lead Women's Basketball in DI Era". Mercyhurst Athletics. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  4. ^ "2025-26 Women's Basketball Schedule". Mercyhurst University Athletics. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  5. ^ "Mercyhurst Athletics 2025-26 Regular Season NCAAW Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
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