ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) has released the 2026-27 women's basketball preseason poll, with Webster University selected as the conference favorite. The Gorloks received 64 points and eight first-place votes as they look to capture their eighth consecutive SLIAC championship.
The Gorloks are coming off a 19-9 overall record that included another SLIAC Tournament Championship during the 2025-26 season. Under the direction of Head Coach Jordan Olufson, Webster returns three starters from last year's championship squad, along with several key contributors and a group of newcomers looking to make an immediate impact.
Leading the group of returners is senior forward Meghan Illingworth, who led the Gorloks in scoring last season with 11.8 points per game. The 6-foot-2 native of St. Louis, Missouri, looks to play a key role in Webster's frontcourt as she enters her senior campaign.
Sophomore wing Akaela Caquelin also returns following an impressive freshman season. The Rolla, Missouri, native averaged 10.0 points per game while leading the Gorloks with 49 made three-pointers. Caquelin looks to build on her first-year success as she enters her second season with the program.
Other key returners include seniors Kaimyla Nolen, Emily Kerce, MyLeia Campbell, and Kaelyn Stager, along with sophomores Daijah Jones, Peyton Dolan, and Terryn Ford.
In addition to the returning talent, Webster welcomes nine newcomers to the program for the 2026-27 season, including junior transfers Brooklynn Burnett, a forward from John A. Logan College; Sydney Esperanza, a guard from Pacific University; and Gabby Douglass, a guard from fellow SLIAC member Spalding University.
Webster also welcomes junior transfers Allie Sampson, a guard from the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy; Amia Moore, a wing from Mineral Area Community College; and Janessa Wallace, a guard from Carl Sandburg College.
Senior Rylee Webb, a wing/forward from Quincy University, also joins the Gorloks for the upcoming season.
The Gorloks add two first-year student-athletes in Kyra Deadrick, a guard from Victoria, Texas, and Harley Washington, a forward from Shenandoah, Texas.
Following Webster, Mississippi University for Women was selected second in the preseason poll with 53 points, followed by Spalding University in third with 46 points. Greenville University received the remaining first-place vote and was picked fourth with 44 points.
The Gorloks will open the 2026-27 season on Friday, November 6, when they host the University of the Ozarks at 8 p.m. as part of the Angel Saddler Memorial Tip-Off Classic.
