Lebanon, IL - The weather certainly is an indicator, but the basketball season has arrived, and the McKendree University Women's Basketball team is full speed ahead in their preparations to tip off their 2025-2026 preseason slate on Wednesday night with a DI opportunity at the Southern Illinois Salukis, a 6:00 PM tipoff from the Banterra Center.
RECAPPING 2024-2025
The Bearcats enter the 25-26 season on a mission. They went 15-11 overall (11-9 GLVC) last year, just missing out on a trip to the GLVC tournament, but a group of returners that were able to put up reputable numbers a year ago look to collectively make that push into the field of eight come early March.
McKendree had built momentum at the end of the year, tallying four wins out of their last five games. They averaged 73.6 points per game, shot 44.5% from the field, and held opponents to 66.2 points, posting a +7.4 scoring margin and a +2.7 rebounding edge. Home was a fortress, too. The Bearcats went (10-3) in Lebanon, showing poise and composure that carried through the schedule.
RETURNING CORE
11th-year Head Coach
Kari Kerkhoff returns a roster that will be among the most experienced in the GLVC, led by junior forward
Baylie Parks, who averaged 18.9 points and 10.7 rebounds per game on 49.9% shooting. Parks, one of the nation's shortlist of players who averaged a double-double, give McKendree an engine every opponent must account for.
Sophomore
Kyra Taylor impressed as a freshman with 11.9 points, 4.7 boards, and 54% shooting, while sophomore
Taylor Fohey provides post depth at 54.8% shooting and 84.2% at the charity stripe.
Junior
Emma Slings tallied 89 assists and shot 43% from three a year ago, setting the pace for the offense. Seniors
Chloe White (5.4 ppg) and
Georgia Duncan (5 ppg, 86.4% FTs) add length and a veteran presence on the wings, while sophomore
Tessa Crawford stretches defenses as a proven shooter - her 17 made 3's were third on the team. Depth pieces like
Olivia Corson (35% FGs),
Morgan Feil, and
Jayce Privia look to complete a rotation built on experience and energy.
In total, McKendree returns over 80 percent of its scoring and rebounding.
NEW FACES, ADDED DEPTH
The 2025-26 class blends youth and experience. Freshmen
Hannah Fenton (Pattonville HS),
Kylie Moeller (East Peoria HS),
Dixie Ottenschnieder (Breese Mater Dei HS), and
Jacie Persing (Carlyle HS) bolster the roster with versatility, while JUCO transfers
Maliah Sparks (Parkland) and
Madison Johnson (State Fair) add maturity and toughness.
THE ROAD AHEAD
McKendree's slate offers immediate tests and valuable non-conference exposure. The Bearcats of course begin Wednesday with the aforementioned exhibition at DI Southern Illinois, followed by a November 7th home exhibition against NAIA member Culver-Stockton. The regular season opens November 14th against NAIA member Harris Stowe before a trip to Quincy for the Hansen-Spear Funeral Home Classic, where McKendree battles Purdue Northwest (November 21st) and Missouri Southern State (November 22nd).
League play arrives quickly: November 25th at Maryville, back home December 1st vs. Rockhurst, and December 4th at Illinois-Springfield. December closes with non-conference dates against Davenport (December 13th) and DIII Eureka (December 16th), plus a pre-holiday road test at Missouri Western State (December 20th).
After the break, the Bearcats host Lewis (January 2nd) and UIndy (January 4th), travel to Truman State (January 8th) and William Jewell (January 10th), and return to Lebanon for a key mid-January stretch with Southwest Baptist (January 15th) and Drury (January 17th). February closes with homestands against Upper Iowa (February 19th) and Quincy (February 21st) before the regular season finishes at Rockhurst (February 26th) and Southwest Baptist (February 28th).
BEFORE WE GO - SCOUTING THE SALUKIS
The first look at this year's Bearcats comes in Carbondale, where the Southern Illinois Salukis provide a Division-I measuring stick. The Salukis went 4-26 overall and 2-18 in the Missouri Valley Conference last season, averaging 57.7 points on 35.4 percent shooting and 27.6 percent from three, while allowing 76.4 points per game. The statistical profile points to the offense - 17.9 turnovers per game, but a modest shooting clip - but there's also length and rim protection on the roster, with 3.9 blocks per game and 36.2 rebounds per contest suggesting they can certainly disrupt rhythm and extend possessions.
Personnel-wise, guard Kayla Cooper (9.8 ppg, 42 3's) stretches the floor, while Tkiyah Nelson (6.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg) adds strength. Mia Gaines (6'4") anchors the paint and gives SIU size that McKendree will look to account for in shot selection and box-outs. The Salukis do not return their double-double stalwart in 6'3" Gift Uchenna (14.5 ppg, 12.8 rpg), as she now plays in the Big Ten Conference for the Wisconsin Badgers.
For the Bearcats, the exhibition offers exactly the kind of early diagnostic a veteran team wants: rebounding discipline against Division I size, tempo control against pressure, and a chance to sharpen spacing before the regular season tips in a couple of weeks.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE BEARCATS
@ DI Southern Illinois (0-0, 0-0 MVC)
Wednesday, October 29th - 6:00 PM
at Banterra Center - Carbondale, IL
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