On Tuesday, the Ohio Valley Conference released its preseason poll, with the Lindenwood women's basketball team picked to finish atop the league.

Lindenwood received 179 points in the poll with six first place votes, just ahead of Tennessee Tech who had 175 with 12 nods for the top spot. The Leathernecks of Western Illinois were picked to finish third, while Southern Indiana and Eastern Illinois round out the top five. UT Martin was selected sixth and earned 117 points. Little Rock was picked seventh, with Tennessee State in eighth and SEMO in ninth. Morehead State and SIUE tied for 10^th to finish off the poll.

The OVC also released its Players to Watch before the start of the season with Mya Skoff and Gracy Wernli were selected from Lindenwood

Skoff appeared in 34 games, making 25 starts. The Bellevue, Neb. native averaged 9.6 points per game, which ranked fourth on the team. Skoff had 16 double-digit scoring games, while averaging 2.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per contest

Wernli made an instant impact after transferring from Abeline Christian prior to last season. The Bixby, Okla. native started all 33 games she appeared in, while averaging 10.5 points per game, which ranked third on the team. The junior guard shot 42 percent from the field and almost 90 percent from the foul line, while making 50 three-pointers, second most on the team. 

The Lions are coming off one of their best seasons in program history as they finished the 2024-25 campaign with a 23-11 record which culminated in a WNIT Sweet 16 appearance. Last season, Lindenwood posted 14 wins at home, its most in program history and had an 11-game winning streak during the year

WBB Poll
1.  Lindenwood (6 first-place)                          179
2.  Tennessee Tech (12)                                  175
3.  Western Illinois (4)                                      166
4.  Southern Indiana                                        147
5.  Eastern Illinois                                            121
6.  UT Martin                                                  117
7.  Little Rock                                                 110
8.  Tennessee State                                        78
9.  Southeast Missouri                                    51
10. Morehead State                                       33
     SIUE                                                         33
 
The Lions will kick off the 2025-26 season on Wednesday, November 5 hosting Harris-Stowe at 11:00 am for Education Day. 

Follow Lindenwood women's basketball on X and Instagram @LindenwoodWBB. Follow Coach Eagan on her weekly podcast to learn more