ERIE, Pa. – The expectations remain high for the Gannon women's basketball team as the Golden Knights prepare to open the 2026–27 season. Coming off a 29–5 campaign and another NCAA Division II Tournament appearance, Gannon enters the new year ranked No. 12 in the WBCA Div. II Preseason Rankings and looking to remain among the top programs in the Atlantic Region.

Head coach Cleve Wright enters his 19th season at Gannon with an experienced group looking to build on last year's success. Despite the departure of three seniors who accounted for almost 40 percent of the offensive output, the Golden Knights return a strong nucleus as they prepare for another challenging schedule and a competitive Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division race.

A Year Ago
2025–26 Record: 29–5 overall, 18–2 PSAC
Result: Finished as the PSAC Tournament runner-up before advancing to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional semifinals.
National Ranking: Finished No. 8 in the final Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II Poll.
Individual Leaders:

• Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) – 16.1 PPG, WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches' All-America Honorable Mention, All-PSAC West First Team.
• Kate Ratliff (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester) – 12.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 100 assists, 72 steals, 42 blocks, All-PSAC West Second Team.
• Jordan Popyk (Novi, Mich./Novi) – 9.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, .496 FG%.
• Mia Slater (Canberra, Australia/Canberra Grammar School) – 8.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG, .532 FG%, All-PSAC West Second Team.
• Maddy Wheatley (Canberra, Australia/UCSSC Lake Ginninderra) – 8.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 96 assists.

This Season
National Ranking: No. 12 in the WBCA Division II Preseason Poll.
PSAC West Preseason Poll: Second (two first-place votes), behind No. 4 Indiana (Pa.).
Student-Athletes Departing: Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster), Maddy Wheatley (Canberra, Australia/UCSSC Lake Ginninderra), Carissa Dunham (Fairview, Pa./Villa Maria).
Returning Student-Athletes: Kate Ratliff (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester), Mia Slater (Canberra, Australia/Canberra Grammar School), Jordan Popyk (Novi, Mich./Novi), Tori Mayes (Lake City, Pa./Cathedral Prep), Olivia Pepple (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford), Bella Deere (Union, Ky./Cooper), Olivia Cernuto (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland), Taylor Ethridge (Chesapeake, Va./Catholic), Lauren Kingsley (Pavilion, N.Y./Pavilion), Katie Boal (Franklin, Pa./Franklin Area) and Jenna Winowiecki (Grosse Point Woods, Mich./Gross Point North).
Incoming Freshmen: Bella Magestro (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic), Miley McClellan (Columbus, Ind./Columbus North), Sammy Russell (Medway, Ohio/Tecumseh) and Gwen Smith (Western Springs, Ill./Lyons Township).

Coaching Staff Notes
Head coach Cleve Wright enters his 19th season at the helm of the Golden Knights and eighth since returning to Erie in 2019.

Wright has compiled a 416–134 record (.756) in 18 seasons at Gannon, including a 238–78 mark (.753) in conference play. Overall, the veteran head coach owns a 451–221 career record (.671) in 22 seasons.

Wright reached a milestone during the 2025–26 campaign, earning his 400th victory at Gannon in a 62–30 win over Shippensburg. He enters the 2026–27 season with 416 victories at Gannon and is 49 wins shy of 500 career coaching victories.

Wright is assisted by Lauren Ramsey and Paige Cannon, who both joined the Gannon coaching staff prior to the 2025–26 season and have played important roles in the program's continued success.

Key Dates
Season Opener: Nov. 6 – vs. Missouri Western (5:15 p.m.), Division II CCA Tip-Off Classic (Owensboro, Ky.) 
Home Opener: Nov. 13 – vs. No. 17 Glenville State (11 a.m.), Atlantic Region Challenge
PSAC Opener: Dec. 4 – vs. Kutztown (3 p.m.)
PSAC West Opener: Jan. 6 – at Seton Hill (5:30 p.m.)
Key PSAC West Matchups: Jan. 28 – at No. 4 Indiana (Pa.); Feb. 24 – vs. No. 4 Indiana (Pa.)
PSAC Tournament: March 1–7, 2027 at top remaining Western Division seed

What To Expect

1. Experienced Returners Lead the Way
While needing to replace two starters Gannon enters the 2026–27 season with an experienced group led by seniors Kate Ratliff (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester) and Mia Slater (Canberra, Australia/Canberra Grammar School), along with junior Jordan Popyk (Novi, Mich./Novi).

Ratliff returns as the Golden Knights' leading scorer after averaging 12.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in 2025–26. The 6-foot guard started 33 of 34 contests while leading Gannon with 100 assists and 42 blocked shots. She also collected 72 steals and earned second team All-PSAC West honors for the second consecutive season.

Ratliff reached another milestone last season, becoming the 33rd player in program history to score 1,000 career points. She also earned a spot on the NCAA Atlantic Regional All-Tournament Team.

Slater provides another experienced presence in the post. The 6-foot-2 senior appeared in all 34 games last season, averaging 8.3 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 53.2 percent from the floor. She earned second team All-PSAC West honors.

Popyk enjoyed a productive sophomore campaign. The 6-foot-2 junior appeared in 33 games, averaging 9.1 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 49.6 percent from the field.

Junior Olivia Pepple (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) returns after averaging 4.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in 27 games last season. She shot a team-best 90.7 percent from the free-throw line (49-of-54) while adding 41 assists and 16 steals. She missed seven games during the latter half of the season with an injury.

Senior Tori Mayes (Lake City, Pa./Cathedral Prep) started all 34 contests at point guard a year ago, averaging 24.1 minutes per game. Mayes contributes strong defensive skills and floor leadership. She finished with 72 assists and 46 steals while contributing 2.3 rebounds per contest.

After redshirting in 2024-25, Bella Deere (Union, Ky./Cooper) appeared in 33 games during her first season of action with the Golden Knights, averaging 3.2 points and 2.2 rebounds. She also shot 90 percent from the free-throw line (27-of-30).

Other returnees include Olivia Cernuto (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland), Taylor Ethridge (Chesapeake, Va./Catholic), Lauren Kingsley (Pavilion, N.Y./Pavilion), Katie Boal (Franklin, Pa./Franklin Area) and Jenna Winowiecki (Grosse Point Woods, Mich./Gross Point North). All have enjoyed strong moments and provide key play in a reserve role. Cernuto, in particular, has displayed impressive skills but has battled a series of injuries her first three years. A year ago she was limited to 17 games, averaging 4.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game with 31 steals.

At 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-4, respectively, Kingsley and Boal are dominating presences in the paint. Ethridge, a senior guard, played some of her best basketball as a Golden Knight down the stretch last year, and Winowiecki provides further depth in the backcourt.

Wright has been pleased with his team's preparation as the Golden Knights work toward their season opener.

"Preseason's been good," Wright said. "It's a matter of trying to get people on the same page, trying to get our conditioning in, trying to get four new freshmen to understand the system. But our team has really gotten after it in the preseason. They're very committed. We have a group that loves to get in the gym."

2. Replacing Key Contributors
While Gannon returns much of its roster from last season, the Golden Knights will look to replace the production and leadership of three seniors in Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster), Maddy Wheatley (Canberra, Australia/UCSSC Lake Ginninderra) and Carissa Dunham (Fairview, Pa./Villa Maria).

Claxon concluded her career as one of the program's most accomplished scorers, finishing fifth in school history with 1,841 points. A three-time All-PSAC West First Team selection, Claxon led the Golden Knights with 16.1 points per game last season and earned WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches' All-America Honorable Mention honors.

Wheatley started all 34 contests, averaging 8.3 points and a team-high 6.2 rebounds while finishing second on the team with 96 assists.

Dunham battled injuries throughout the 2025–26 season, limiting her to 14 appearances, but remained a valuable leader for the Golden Knights. Following the conclusion of her playing career, she joined fellow NCAA Division II program Wingate University as a graduate assistant coach.

3. Four Newcomers Join the Golden Knights
Gannon welcomes four freshmen to the program for the 2026–27 campaign, bringing an accomplished group of newcomers to an experienced roster.

Bella Magestro (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) arrives from Kennedy Catholic, where she was a four-time All-State selection, two-time state champion and All-State Athlete of the Year as a senior after averaging 20 points per game. Miley McClellan (Columbus, Ind./Columbus North) earned Second Team All-State honors at Columbus North, averaging 9.7 points and 6.2 rebounds as a senior while also excelling in softball and track and field.

Sammy Russell (Medway, Ohio/Tecumseh) joins the Golden Knights from Tecumseh, Ohio where she earned Second Team All-Ohio honors and was named Clark County Miss Basketball after averaging 21.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 4.1 steals as a junior.

Gwen Smith (Western Springs, Ill./Lyons Township) rounds out the class after earning two All-Conference selections at Lyons Township, where she surpassed 1,000 career points and averaged 16.7 points per game as a senior.

"Our team has really gotten after it in the preseason," Wright said. "They're very committed, and we have a group that loves to get in the gym. We're just trying to get better every day."

4. Challenging Nonconference Schedule Awaits
For the fourth consecutive season, Gannon will open its campaign at the Division II CCA Tip-Off Classic. This year's event will be hosted by Kentucky Wesleyan in Owensboro, Kentucky.

The Golden Knights open against Missouri Western on Friday, November 6, at 5:15 p.m. before facing Harding on Saturday, November 7, at 3 p.m. Harding, 24-7 a year ago, enters the matchup after making its third consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament appearance last season.

Gannon's home opener will provide another early-season test when the Golden Knights welcome No. 17 Glenville State to the Highmark Events Center on Friday, November 13, at 11 a.m. as part of the Atlantic Region Challenge. The Golden Knights will then face Ohio Dominican on Saturday, November 14, at 1 p.m.

The nonconference schedule also includes a November 18 matchup with No. 15 Daemen at the Highmark Events Center before Gannon travels to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the D2 Jackpot Classic.
There, the Golden Knights will face No. 2 Colorado Mesa on Friday, November 27, followed by Vanguard on Saturday, November 28.

In all, Gannon's schedule features four opponents ranked in the WBCA preseason Top 25, including No. 2 Colorado Mesa, No. 4 Indiana (Pa.), No. 15 Daemen and No. 17 Glenville State.

Wright believes the challenging early-season schedule will help prepare the Golden Knights for conference play.

"We have a schedule that I think does a great job of preparing us for the PSAC and the gauntlet of playing so many good teams with great coaches," Wright said. "In November, we're playing seven games, five of those seven played in the NCAA Tournament, and one was in the Elite Eight. So we're going to get a test right off the bat to see where we're at, and we're excited about those opportunities."

The trips to Kentucky and Las Vegas will also provide opportunities for the Golden Knights to grow together away from competition.

"Those kinds of trips, not only because we're playing great competition, it's also a chance for our team to bond and have shared experiences," Wright said. "We're wanting that to not only make our team stronger on the court, but make our team stronger off the court with that kind of bonding."

5. Another Battle in the PSAC West
The Golden Knights enter the season picked second in the PSAC Western Division preseason poll after receiving two first-place votes.

No. 4 Indiana (Pa.) was selected as the division favorite with seven first-place votes. Edinboro, California (Pa.) and Lock Haven rounded out the top five.

Gannon finished 18–2 in conference play last season and reached the PSAC Tournament championship game before advancing to the NCAA Atlantic Regional semifinals.

The Golden Knights begin PSAC crossover competition on December 4 against Kutztown at the Highmark Events Center before hosting West Chester the following afternoon.

Western Division play begins January 6 at Seton Hill, with the Golden Knights traveling to face preseason favorite No. 4 Indiana (Pa.) on January 28 before hosting the Crimson Hawks on February 24.

Wright expects another challenging season in the Western Division, particularly with Lock Haven joining the division.

"The PSAC is going to be, again, a gauntlet," Wright said. "We have a lot of really, really good teams, and Lock Haven coming over from the East just strengthens our division. We're super excited about that, and we're ready to go."

Gannon concludes its regular-season schedule February 27 at Slippery Rock. The PSAC Tournament begins March 1, with the Golden Knights looking to position themselves for another postseason run and a return to the NCAA Division II Tournament.