RICHARDSON, Texas — The St. Mary's University Women's Basketball team has been selected to finish in the middle of the pack in the Lone Star Conference this season, getting voted 10th in the 17-team league by the head coaches, selected media and athletics communications personnel.
The usual suspects topped the poll in Texas Woman's (20 first-place votes, 810 points), Lubbock Christian (14, 776), UT Tyler (8, 761) and West Texas A&M (6, 663). Eastern New Mexico rounded out the top five with two first-place nods and 657 points.
The Rattlers, which start the 2025-26 campaign on Nov. 14 at South Dakota Mines, grabbed 438 points for 10th in the poll. The team returns nine letterwinners from last year's squad, and adds two players with experience in the always-tough Lone Star in
Aina Maynou from Texas A&M-Kingsville and
Peyton Stellato from Angelo State.
Sophomore
Christin Callens (Houston) was named to the Players to Watch list. Callens broke the StMU freshman scoring record with 402 points (14.2 ppg) and was named to the Lone Star All-Conference Second Team. She, fellow sophomore
Tiara Louis (San Antonio) and junior guard
Andrea Montesinos (Valencia, Spain) played in all 28 games a season ago, while
Raynne Malik (London, Ontario) played in 27 and senior guard
Imani Ivery (Houston) played in 26.
West Texas A&M senior guard Kyla Kane was named the Preseason Player of the Year.
2025 LSC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL, PLAYER OF THE YEAR, PLAYERS TO WATCH
Preseason Poll
Rank Team 1st Total
1 Texas Woman's 20 810
2 Lubbock Christian 14 776
3 UT Tyler 8 761
4 West Texas A&M 6 663
5 Eastern New Mexico 2 657
6 Angelo State 656
7 Texas A&M-Kingsville 564
8 UT Permian Basin 466
9 Midwestern State 461
10 St. Mary's 438
11 St. Edward's 363
12 Oklahoma Christian 310
13 Cameron 262
14 Texas A&M International 1 210
15 UT Dallas 168
16 Western New Mexico 161
17 Sul Ross State 77
Preseason Player of the Year
Kyla Kane, G, Sr., West Texas A&M
Players to Watch
Name School Pos. Cl. Major Hometown
Keniah Williams Angelo State C Sr. Interdisciplinary Studies Georgetown, Texas
Madison Griggs Cameron F So. Criminal Justice Mansfield, Texas
Nataya Lockett Eastern New Mexico G Sr. Marketing Omaha, Neb.
Kennedy Chappell Lubbock Christian G Jr. Animal Science/Pre Vet Heath, Texas
Kerbie Cash Midwestern State F So. Early Childhood Edu. Wylie, Texas
Taylor Jackson Oklahoma Christian F Sr. Marriage & Family Therapy McKinney, Texas
Christin Callens St. Mary's F So. Biochemistry Houston, Texas
Victoria Aguayo Sul Ross State G Sr. Biology El Paso, Texas
Deannasty Smith Texas A&M International F Sr. Kinesiology San Antonio, Texas
Kaycee Groves Texas A&M-Kingsville G/F Jr. Biomedical Sciences Faith, S.D.
Averee Kleinhans Texas Woman's G Sr. Dietetics Nocona, Texas
Umi Otsuka UT Dallas G Jr. Interdisciplinary Studies Tokyo, Japan
Kenadi Rising UT Permian Basin G Gr. Kinesiology Rapid City, S.D.
Polina Latysheva UT Tyler G Jr. Management Moscow, Russia
Kyla Kane West Texas A&M G Sr. Sports & Ex. Science Wellington, Texas
Natalie Magallanes Western New Mexico G So. Kinesiology Midland, Texas
