Women’s Basketball Eyes Preseason Tune-Up at Eastern Illinois

Tipoff set for 6 p.m.

10/26/2026 12:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team travels to NCAA Division I Eastern Illinois University Tuesday, Oct. 27, for an exhibition game in Charleston, Ill. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

The Titans roll into the 2026-27 campaign under the leadership of veteran head coach Mia Smith. In 28 years leading the Titans, Smith has led IWU to 548 wins, 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, 12 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament titles, and 12 CCIW Regular Season Championships. An eight-time CCIW Coach of the Year, Smith's success has come from consistent rosters filled with top-tier talent.

With the loss of First Team All-CCIW picks Ava Bardic and Sawyer White to graduation, the Titans turn to a young core to lead the Green and White in the season ahead. Junior Leah Palmer (Geneva, Ill.-Geneva) along with sophomores Caitlin Leyden (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South) and Asia Kobylarczyk (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South) will lead the team as co-captains in their second seasons at IWU.

Alongside the co-captains, juniors Alyssa Epps (Berkeley, Ill.-Montini Catholic) and Luigi Lam (Kowloon, Hong Kong-Wa Ying College) as well as sophomores Rena Robinson (San Jose, Calif.-Archbishop Mitty), Lucy Hynes (Homer Glen, Ill.-Lockport), Kaidyn King (North Aurora, Ill.-Batavia), Ashley Mahlum (Barrington, Ill.-Barrington), Sofia Flynn (LaGrange Park, Ill.-Trinity), and Megan Allen (Monticello, Ill.-Monticello) round out the talented group of veterans.

A deep recruiting class consisting of six freshmen and one junior-transfer completes the roster with Avery Braden (Forsyth, Ill.-Maroa Forsyth), Aubrey Lamberti (Aurora, Ill.-Oswego East), Layne Nordstrom (Lake Zurich, Ill.-Lake Zurich), Bri Harms (Roanoke, Ill.-Roanoke Benson), Averie Wolfe (Effingham, Ill.-Effingham), and Emily Currey (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South) set to suit up for the Green and White in their first season of collegiate basketball. Rounding out the class, junior Olivia Corson (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) returns home for her first season at IWU following two years at NCAA Division II McKendree University.

Tipoff at Eastern Illinois is slated for 6 p.m. with live stats provided by EIU.

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