WHEELING, W.Va. — The Mountain East Conference announced its 2025-26 women's basketball preseason poll Tuesday afternoon at WesBanco Arena, with Fairmont State chosen as the league favorite. West Liberty was picked to finish eighth, tying with Wheeling in the annual coaches' voting.

While the Hilltoppers may enter the season in the middle of the pack according to the poll, Head Coach Kyle Cooper and his staff are confident in the team's balance of experienced returners and an impressive influx of newcomers.

"The future of Hilltopper women's basketball looks both bright and bold," Cooper said. "We're really excited about this recruiting class as our staff enters a little bit of uncharted territory with half our team being newcomers. There's no doubt that we were very intentional with how we constructed this roster. We believe it has the makings of a team built to compete for championships on the court and win the scoreboard of life off it through who they are as people and a basketball family."

West Liberty's 2025-26 roster features seven new faces—a mix of collegiate transfers and standout high school talent—joining a strong returning core. The class includes transfer guard Abbie Davidson (Youngstown State), point guard Ana-Isabel Andersson Rodriguez (Western Wyoming CC), Ohio wing Kaleigh Norris, West Virginia state champions Dria Parker and Ella Giles from Spring Valley, returning local product Jillian Huffman of Wheeling Park, and Ohio standout Jameka Brungard, who helped lead Springfield Local to an Ohio State Final Four appearance.

"When you look at the collective group, there's no doubt it has versatility that can impact the game in a variety of ways," said Cooper. "Our newcomers complement our returners in a major way to create balance, depth, and, ultimately, an opportunity for our program to be worthy of winning. We cannot wait to get this season underway."

Fairmont State, the defending MEC regular season and tournament champion, earned seven first-place votes and headlines a competitive top of the poll. West Virginia Wesleyan (one first-place vote) was selected second, followed closely by Glenville State (one) and Charleston (two). Concord rounded out the top five, with Frostburg State and West Virginia State next in line.

The 2025-26 MEC Basketball Championships will once again be held at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, beginning Wednesday, March 4, and concluding with the men's and women's championship games on Sunday, March 8.

2025-26 MEC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll