Women's Basketball | 10/31/2026 8:11:00 AM
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Occidental women's basketball team will debut a new-look roster heading onto the court in the 2026-27 season, possessing a mix of transfer players and incoming first-years joining the club's returning players.
Under the tutelage of head coach Anahit Aladzhanyan and assistant coaches Isaiah Flowers, Alma Garcia, Lashell Swann, Amanda Foster, and Seth Davis, the Tigers enter the season following a 12-13 overall record and 7-9 record in SCIAC play a season ago.
Coach Aladzhanyan is excited about the possibilities from the combination of returning players and newcomers: "We've got many new faces and fresh talent and our returning players, particularly our seniors and captains, have done a great job leading and sharing our program values and standards with our new players. We will use every opportunity to learn, grow, and compete!"
With the revamped roster including 10 incoming first-year players and four transfers, Oxy will look to blend experience from their returning players with new talent and gain momentum as they look to return to the SCIAC tournament.
NEW-LOOK ROSTER
The Tigers roster will look different from the team that took the floor last season, with limited returning players on the 2026-27 roster.
Key departures include Megan Delgado, Emily Ko, and Kayla Ikuma as well as key contributors to the program's 2024 SCIAC Championship Dominique Cabading, Dara Tokeshi, Ainsley Shelsta, and Paige Yasukochi. Shelsta was a First Team All-SCIAC selection in 2023-24 whose presence in the paint was key for the Tigers on both ends of the floor. Yasukochi was a three-time All-SCIAC selection who eclipsed the 1,000 point total for her career.
With the turnover of the roster, Oxy will look for leadership from senior guards Micah Elegores and Nicole Vanegas along with junior guard Morgan Seshiki and junior forwards Ila Giblin and Lily Spector. Makena Daggett will also be a senior presence returning to the program for her second season after transferring into the program a year ago.
The Tigers will look to adjust to the loss of the veteran depth by establishing new lineup combinations and developing chemistry. The incoming class includes junior center Quinn Godfrey, a 6-foot-5 transfer from UC Merced, who will provide a potential presence in the paint as well as size and depth to the roster after Shelsta's departure.
The Tigers also add new transfer players to the backcourt with junior guards Sammy Velasquez from Glendale CC and Miranda Morales from Rio Hondo College. Among first-year players, frontcourt options will include 6-foot-1 forwards Joniya Woods and Beverly Dover as well as 6-foot center Joie Berthe-Lumax. The Tigers also welcome guards Lauren Arce, Lauryn Lacap, Chelsea Lee, Madelyn Peiffer, Lexi London, Kelsey Ikemoto and guard-forward Natalia Benavidez.
With a flurry of new faces, Oxy will look to establish new lineup rotations early-on in the season with opportunities for players to step into new roles.
NON-CONFERENCE OUTLOOK
Before SCIAC competition begins, Occidental will have several opportunities to establish chemistry with their new roster against non-conference opponents. The Tigers open up with exhibitions against NCAA DI UC Riverside on November 3 and NCAA DII Cal State San Marcos on November 7.
Oxy then has their home opener against Pacific University on November 9 before also hosting Whitworth University on November 15th. The Tigers will host McMurry University, a team that went 18-9 overall in 2025-26, in Rush Gym on December 16.
Oxy will round out non-SCIAC play with a trip down to Santa Cruz to battle the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs and the Lewis and Clark River Otters on December 19 and 20. A year ago the Banana Slugs defeated SCIAC members La Verne and Caltech on the road.
CONFERENCE OUTLOOK
The Tigers open play in SCIAC competition against a formidable opponent in the Chapman Panthers at home on December 13. The Panthers went 9-7 in the SCIAC a season ago and split their two meetings with the Tigers with each team winning on the road in those matchups.
The conference schedule remains tough when it resumes on January 2nd as Oxy will host the Cal Lutheran Regals, last year's SCIAC regular season champions with a 13-3 SCIAC record, on January 2nd. However, the Regals will also sport a new look this season having lost reigning Offensive Athlete of the Year Alline Ballard along with reigning Defensive athlete of the year Jana Holley.
Occidental will also be tested early on the road, heading to Claremont to take on the reigning SCIAC Tournament champions Claremont-M-S Athenas on January 4 before hosting CMS on January 27.
The Redlands Bulldogs were recently selected to finish first in the 2026-27 SCIAC women's basketball preseason polls, receiving 72 votes to finish just above Cal Lutheran. The Bulldogs return three of five starters a year ago including AJ Wick, a First-Team All-SCIAC selection a year ago, and reigning Newcomer of the Year Teagan McIlroy. Occidental's matchups with Redlands come on January 20 in Los Angeles and February 17 in Redlands.
The Tigers look to be one of the teams with the most size in the conference after bringing in height through new players and will look to find competitive advantages over SCIAC opponents in the new season.
UP NEXT
After the exhibitions against UC Riverside and Cal State San Marcos, the Tigers will kick off the season with the home opener against Pacific on November 9 before hosting Whitworth on November 15.
