Coming off their best season in their NCAA area, the Lindenwood women’s basketball team has their eyes set on the mountain top after shocking the Ohio Valley Conference field in 2024.
Lindenwood finished 23-11 and 16-4 in conference play, both the most wins in a single season in Lindenwood’s NCAA era and a 16 win improvement from 2023. The Lions made a run all the way to the OVC Championship Game before falling in overtime to the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles 82-76 before receiving an invite to the WNIT and making it all the way to the Super 16 Round before falling to Louisiana Tech.
“We had a great year in regards to the building process…but we didn’t win anything,” Eagan said at the OVC media day. “For us, it’s taking that next step. Our kids and our staff are focused on doing that, and we’re putting ourselves in a position to do it.”
Lindenwood was picked to finish first in the OVC this year in the preseason poll. Lindenwood received 179 points in the poll with six first place votes, just ahead of Tennessee Tech who had 175 with 12 nods for the top spot.
“A poll is a poll… we haven’t won any games yet,” Eagan said. “It puts a target on your back, but I’m excited for the respect the coaches show our program. Two years ago, we were picked number 11. Being number one speaks to our players and staff and how hard they work.”
Amy Eagan returns for her third year at the helm of the Lions program after being honored with the OVC coach of the year honor last year. Eagan led her squad to a 14-2 record inside Hyland Arena including playing a game on ESPNU last year. Eagan was also named to the 2026 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid Major Coach of the Year Award Watch List.
Lindenwood Returns a Core Group of Players
Lindenwood returns their top four scorers from last year’s squad: Ellie Brueggemann, Brooke Coffey, Gracy Wernli and Mya Skoff. Brueggemann returns for her third year in St. Charles after averaging 12 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game last season. Brueggemann shot 34% from three last year and finished the season with seven straight games with 10+ points. She dropped a season high 21 points against Western Illinois in which she went 14/14 from the free throw line.
“If I had a daughter, I’d want her to be Ellie,” Eagan said. “She’s one of the most consistent kids I’ve ever coached, her energy, her work ethic, her talk. Every single day, I know what I’m getting.”
Coffey came to St. Charles from Illinois State and put up big numbers in her first year with the Lions. She started in all 34 games last season for the Lions and averaged 10.9 points and led the team with 6.5 rebounds per game. She shot 50% from the field and 30% from three while dropping a career high 20 points in the OVC Championship Game against Tennessee Tech.
Wernli made an instant impact after transferring from Abilene Christian prior to last season. The Bixby, Oklahoma native started all 33 games she appeared in, while averaging 10.5 points per game. The junior guard shot 42% from the field and almost 90% from the foul line, while making 50 three-pointers, second most on the team.
“As the year went on, she just got more and more comfortable. She bleeds the black and gold now.” Eagan said about Wernli’s growth as a player.
Skoff appeared in 34 games, making 25 starts while averaging 9.6 points per game. Skoff had 16 double-digit scoring games, including three 20+ point outings, while averaging 2.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per contest and shooting 45% from the field and 37% from downtown. Skoff also led the team with 116 free throw attempts and 92 makes, shooting 79% from the foul line.
“We call her Miss Lindenwood,” Eagan said. “Her investment in this program and in Lindenwood overall is incredible.”
“We keep building every single year,” Brueggemann said at the OVC Media Day. “Those two years of experience that all of us juniors have had will help a ton this year. I’m really excited.”
The OVC released its Players to Watch before the start of the season with Skoff and Wernli being selected from Lindenwood.
“The hardest thing when you have kids who’ve played since their freshman year is getting them to understand they’ve got to continue to improve,” Eagan said. “I don’t think we let them get comfortable. Last year we were playing really good ball in March, but I feel like we’re so much better even from then.”
Additional Returners
Gracie Kelsey and Alyssa Nielsen also return from last year. Kelsey played in 28 games, starting five, averaging 6.8 points and 5 rebounds per game while shooting 51% from the field and 84% from the free throw line. Kelsey finished last season scoring 10+ points in all three games of the WNIT. Nielsen appeared in 34 games off the bench and averaged 3.2 points and 1.7 rebounds.
“Coach wants a relationship with you outside of basketball too, which is rare,” Brueggemann said. “I feel like I can go to her for anything. She’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever had.”
New Faces Find Themselves in the Black and Gold
Seven newcomers will don uniforms for the Lions this season including Justice Macon, Valerie Norwood and Anna McCarn, three talented freshmen as well as Noah Garcia-Gonzalez, Aleshia Jones, Konstantina Mantziori and Jovana Nikolic who Lindenwood grabbed from the transfer portal.
“We filled some of the spots we needed with portal kids and freshmen. Our freshmen are coming along really well.” Eagan said.
Macon comes to Lindenwood University from nearby Fort Zumwalt North in O’Fallon, Missouri. During her senior season, she averaged 11.2 points per game, 8.7 rebounds per game while shooting 35% from three and 37% from the field.
Norwood comes from Wellington, Kansas where she was named Miss Kansas Basketball her senior year averaged 16 points a game while adding 5 assists, 4 steals, and 5 rebounds. She broke the school record for career assists (289) and career steals (235) at Wellington High School.
McCarn comes to St. Charles from Mountain Home, Arkansas, where she was a three-sport athlete, competing in basketball, volleyball, and track while averaging 7 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game during her basketball career.
Nikolic comes to Lindenwood from Xavier University. During her time, she did not appear in any games due to injury. While playing overseas, she averaged 14.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 blocks, and 2.0 steals with ZKK Vizura.
Mantziori comes to St. Charles, Mo., after spending her sophomore season at Dodge City Community College. Garcia-Gonzalez comes to Lindenwood after appearing in 12 games last year with New Mexico State.
Jones will use her graduate season at Lindenwood after playing the last two seasons at Saginaw Valley State University. Last season, Jones appeared in 29 games, scoring a career-best 14.6 points per game while shooting 43.5% from the floor, 33.6% from three, and 89.1% from the foul line.
The Lions will open their season on Wednesday, Nov. 5, against Harris-Stowe. Tip-off from Hyland Arena is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. The Lions also get the chance to play at Baylor, at Iowa, as well as traveling out to Honolulu, Hawaii, for the American Savings Bank Rainbow Wahine Showdown.
The Lions will open up conference play on Dec. 18 against Western Illinois from Hyland Arena, with the OVC tournament taking place March 4-7, 2026, in Evansville, Indiana.
