Women's basketball set to defend historic NWC title in 2026-27

Linfield women's basketball enters the 2026-27 season looking to build on the most successful campaign in program history. Coming off its first Northwest Conference regular-season championship in 46 years, the Wildcats return several experienced contributors, including the reigning NWC Player of the Year, as head coach Casey Bunn-Wilson looks to keep Linfield among the conference's top teams despite the graduation of a decorated senior class. The Wildcats were tabbed third in the Northwest Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. 

Linfield put together a historic 2025-26 campaign, finishing 22-4 overall and 15-1 in Northwest Conference play to capture its first outright regular-season conference championship since 1980. The Wildcats established program records for overall and conference victories, earned the No. 1 seed in the NWC Tournament and hosted the conference semifinals before falling 59-57 to George Fox. Linfield averaged 67.7 points per game while holding opponents to 54.8, out-rebounding opponents by 9.5 boards per contest. 

Senior Eve Burke led the Wildcats with 11.5 points per game and earned First Team All-NWC honors, while junior Allie Mead averaged 9.8 points, 4.4 assists and 2.5 steals per game on her way to NWC Player of the Year and First Team All-NWC recognition. Seniors Amelia Solt and Miki Vermeulen also played integral roles, with Solt averaging 9.2 points and leading Linfield with 46 three-pointers, while Vermeulen contributed 7.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game and earned NWC Defensive Player of the Year and Second Team All-NWC honors. Linfield's eight-member senior class included Burke, Vermeulen, Solt, Ella Koebelin, Jayden Ray, Laurel Quinn, Jordan Roberts and Logan Roberts. Burke, Solt and Vermeulen earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors, with Solt receiving her third consecutive selection. 

The Wildcats swept three major NWC individual honors, with Bunn-Wilson earning Coach of the Year, Mead receiving Player of the Year and Vermeulen taking Defensive Player of the Year.

Linfield welcomes four freshmen to its 2026-27 roster, adding young talent to the backcourt and wing positions. Guard Rowan Thomas joins the Wildcats from El Dorado Hills, California, where she attended Ponderosa High School. Maddie Hughes, a 5-foot-7 guard, arrives from Puyallup, Washington and Sumner High School. Fellow Washington native Mayli Tuomisto comes to McMinnville from Kirkland and Juanita High School, while 5-foot-9 guard/forward Makenna Te'o also joins the Wildcats from Kirkland and Juanita.

“We have a great freshman class who have come in ready to compete, they've fully bought into the culture, and continue to add to it by doing well on and off the floor.” said Bunn-Wilson on the first-year Wildcats.

The ‘Cats open the season inside Ted Wilson Gymnasium, hosting the Warner Pacific Knights this Sunday at 5 p.m., before heading to Eugene for the Bushnell Tournament next weekend. Then, the ’Cats host Redlands and East Texas Baptist over Thanksgiving weekend and later new-Division III member Azusa Pacific late in December. The non-conference slate closes with a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the D3Hoops.com Classic, squaring off against the WIAC's UW-Stevens Point and the UAA's Wash U just before New Years. Each of the Wildcat's DIII non-conference opponents had winning records last season, and seven of the nine overall opponents ended 2025-26 with a winning record.

The Northwest Conference Regular Season Title defense begins in the midst of the ‘Cats non-conference schedule, as they will travel to the Whit’s to begin Northwest Conference play on December 4th and 5th. Once the calendar flips to January, the Lewis & Clark River Otters open a stretch on January 8 that features three of the first four and seven of the first nine games of the conference season at home for Linfield. 

In turn, four of the final five games of the regular season are on the road. The regular season closes with a home matchup with the Pacific Boxers on February 20 at 5 p.m., where the team will honor their four seniors.