North Michigan News

The Northern Michigan University women's basketball team is set to begin its 2025-26 season at the CCA Tip-Off Classic in Pennsylvania. The Wildcats will play three non-conference games over the weekend, starting with California University of Pennsylvania on Friday, November 7, followed by Gannon on Saturday and Edinboro on Sunday.

Head coach Casey Thousand commented on the team's approach to the new season: "We are going in focused on us and making sure we are doing things the way we want to do them. We have to be adaptable, and we will lean on our seniors to know what we want."

The Wildcats' first home game is scheduled for Thursday, November 20, against St. Cloud State at Vandament Arena. They will then face Minnesota Duluth the following day.

In the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Preseason Poll, Northern Michigan was picked to finish second among eleven teams. Grand Valley State received ten first-place votes and topped the poll with 100 points; NMU followed with 87 points.

Northern Michigan comes into this season after back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and tying their program's best win total since 2000-01 with 23 victories last year. Under head coach Casey Thousand—now entering her fourth season—the team posted a 23-9 overall record and went 15-5 in conference play last year.

Key returning players include seniors Jacy Weisbrod, Sarah Newcomer, Alyssa Hill, CJ Romero, as well as sophomore Sydney Whitehouse. Five newcomers join this year's roster: four freshmen and one transfer.

Jacy Weisbrod was named to this season's Preseason All-GLIAC First Team after averaging 13.4 points per game last year and leading the conference in three-pointers made (ranking sixth nationally). Sarah Newcomer averaged 8.9 points per game along with notable contributions in rebounds and assists; she earned a spot on last season’s All-GLIAC Second Team.

Their opening opponent, California University of Pennsylvania, finished last year with a 16–12 record and aims for a higher position in their conference standings this season. The Vulcans' Alicia Young returns as their top scorer from last year.

Gannon ended its previous campaign at 28–7 overall while holding opponents to an average of just under 57 points per game—the best defensive mark in their league—and returns key players Bri Claxon and Kate Ratliff.

Edinboro completed last season with a strong offensive showing but lost its top four scorers; however, they remain optimistic about another successful run within their conference.