Concord Voted Fifth in MEC Preseason Poll

WHEELING, W.Va. – The Concord University women's basketball team has been slotted fifth in the Mountain East Conference Preseason Poll that was unveiled Tuesday during MEC Media Day inside WesBanco Arena.

THE POLL

Place	Team (First-Place Votes)	Points
1.	Fairmont State (5)	113
2.	Charleston (5)	111
3.	Glenville State (2)	101
4.	West Virginia Wesleyan	84
5.	Concord	77
6.	Frostburg State	72
7.	West Liberty	68
8.	Wheeling	50
9.	West Virginia State	46
10.	Shawnee State	32
11.	Point Park	23
12.	Davis & Elkins	15

2025-26 REVIEW
In Coach Tesla Southcott's fourth year as head coach, Concord had its most successful season since the 2021-22 campaign. CU won 18 games and finished fourth in the MEC, its highest finish since the aforementioned 2021-22 season. Eleven of the 18 wins for the Maroon and Gray came by double digits. Abbie Smith became CU's first conference player of the year in more than two decades and was later named an All-American in March. Junior guard Kenyah Stubbs joined Smith on the All-MEC First Team.

2026-27 SCHEDULE
The Mountain Lions are slated for 30 games this winter, eight against non-conference opponents and 22 versus MEC foes in a double round-robin format. The season begins November 9 versus Ferrum, Coach Southcott's alma mater, inside the Carter Center. CU is at the MEC-PSAC Challenge hosted by Fairmont State November 13 and 14. A visit to Mercer County rival Bluefield State is in store November 21 before Concord goes to Puerto Rico for the first time in program history the week of Thanksgiving, for two games. MEC play begins December 2 at Wheeling. Other conference highlights are the first of two games with Fairmont State (December 14 on the road), a home game with Charleston (January 2), the first meeting with Shawnee State in program history (January 20), a date inside the Carter Center versus West Virginia Wesleyan (February 10) and the final MEC game versus Shawnee State (February 27).

THE RETURNERS
Stubbs is the top returner for the Mountain Lions after a season that saw her finish top 10 in the MEC in scoring (seventh/15.7), assists (seventh/3.6) and free-throw percentage (ninth/71.7). She tallied seven 20-point games, including a 32-point outburst versus West Liberty (January 17). Graduate forward Olivia Ziolkowski averaged 10.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in her first season in the Maroon and Gray last year as she finished top 15 in rebounding while ranking third in the conference in blocks per game (1.4). Senior guard Alexis Frazee was one of the most accurate shooters in the MEC as she shot a single-season program record 46.1 percent from three-point range last season in making 47 three-pointers and averaging 8.1 points per game in 26 contests, all off the bench.

Senior guard Kiley Smich was at the head of the Concord defense as she started 28 games and averaged 5.1 points and a team-best 1.6 steals per game. Sophomore guard Cadence Blackburn saw her minutes increase as the season went along as she played in all 29 games off the bench while netting 4.1 points per contest. Fellow sophomore guards Lacee Smith and Nasiya Smith both played in 20 games before season-ending injuries.

THE NEWCOMERS
Two notable transfers highlight the new faces for Coach Southcott. Sophomore forward Madelyn Caron played in nine games for Lenoir-Rhyne who won the South Atlantic Conference regular season championship in 2025-26. Caron was a 1,000-point scorer and helped lead Lord Botetourt (Va.) to a state championship in 2025. Another Roanoke Valley standout, graduate guard Shelby Fiddler (Patrick Henry HS), arrives in Athens after stops at Division I Niagara and Presbyterian. Fiddler has played in 98 career games with 36 starts between the two schools. Her best season was in 2024-25 when she made 50 three-pointers and averaged just under seven points per game while playing more than 31 minutes per game for Presbyterian. Morehead State transfer Marija Marinkovic did not play last season at MSU, but played in 33 games at Gillette Community College in 2024-25.

Among the high school standouts suiting up in the Maroon and Gray are guard Donya Burton (Beckley, W.Va./Woodrow Wilson), guard Bri Fox (Morgantown, W.Va./University), forward Hannah Fuller (Lewisburg, W.Va./Greenbrier East), guard Ava Gallion and forward Kenna Keener (Grafton, W.Va./Grafton). All five were all-state selections a season ago in West Virginia including Fox, Gallion and Keener earning first team all-state in their respective classes. Forward Kynnedi Hager (Versailles, Ohio/Versailles) was an all-state selection in Division V in Ohio in 2026.