By: Aaron Thompson, Assistant Director of Athletics (Operations)
WASHINGTON, Pa. – Following a historic campaign a season ago, the Washington & Jefferson College women's basketball team will look to make another run to a Presidents' Athletic Conference title and the NCAA Tournament this season under the leadership of head coach
Jina DeRubbo.
2024-25 Season Review: W&J finished last season with a 24-5 overall record and an 18-2 record in the Presidents' Athletic Conference. The 25 wins are tied for the most wins in a single season in program history.
"Last season was such an enjoyable year, from start to finish," Coach DeRubbo said. "The senior class was determined to go out as champions. Their commitment to all the little daily things that it takes to win at that level was impressive. That was a special group and to go out with the first ever NCAA tournament win with stay with me for years to come."
The Presidents started off last season by winning a pair of games at the Hampton Inn Women's Basketball Tipoff event, including a signature win over perennial power Baldwin Wallace, a team that finished last year with a 29-2 record and advanced into the NCAA Elite Eight round.
Following the event, W&J went on to win the first 11 games in conference play. Following a loss to the Chatham Cougars, the Presidents went into the conference tournament winning seven of the final eight games.
In the conference tournament, the Presidents successfully upheld their number one seed with a win over Grove City in the semifinals. W&J used a fast start and strong finish to avenge a previous loss by topping Chatham, 59-50, in the PAC Championship game at Salvitti Family Gymnasium on March 1.
The PAC conference championships gave the Presidents an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. In the first round, W&J outlasted 24th ranked Messiah Falcons in an overtime thriller. The dramatic comeback victory, fueled by
Bryn Bezjak's (Uniontown, Pa./Albert Gallatin) last second layup to force overtime, gave W&J its first NCAA Tournament victory in program history.
The Presidents battled but fell 78-65 in the NCAA Second Round to host Ohio Wesleyan, who entered the game ranked No. 18 in NCAA Division III.
Coach DeRubbo was awarded with the PAC Coach of the Year Honors for a fourth-straight season. Additionally,
Meghan Dryburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) and current senior
Stellanie Loutsion (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) were selected on the All-PAC First-Team.
Adalynn Cherry (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area) and current junior
Katie Kovalchick (Shelocta, Pa./Indiana Area) were also selected as Honorable Mentions to the All-PAC teams. Cherry earned the nod as PAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
Cherry, a standout student-athlete and leader for the program, received the nomination from the PAC as its representative for the NCAA Women of the Year award.
| 2025-26 PAC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll (South Division) |
| School (first-place votes) |
Points |
2024-25 record (conference) |
| 1. Washington & Jefferson College (10) |
65 |
24-5 (18-2 PAC) |
| 2. Chatham University (2) |
57 |
21-6 (17-3 PAC) |
| 3. Bethany College |
40 |
13-13 (10-10 PAC) |
| 4. Saint Vincent College |
36 |
13-13 (12-8 PAC) |
| 5. Waynesburg University |
32 |
14-11 (9-11 PAC) |
| 6. Franciscan University |
16 |
2-23 (2-18 PAC) |
Team Captains: Stellanie Loutsion (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) and
Riley DeRubbo (Washington, Pa./Trinity)
"Stella and Riley are both crucial to our team's success," Coach DeRubbo said. "Both are elite level scorers and will be asked to really play both ends of the floor as well as lead our team on and off the court. While we have a strong junior class,
Katie Kovalchick (Shelocta, Pa./Indiana Area) is the only one with significant experience from last season. Their leadership on the court will be important for us especially early in the season."
Key Returners: Despite the loss of three key starters, the Presidents seem poised to be in the hunt to repeat as conference champions. The two returning starters finished as the Presidents top two scorers a season ago.
Loutsion picked up her first All-PAC First Team honor after averaging 12.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game as a junior. She added 66 assists and converted 26 three-point field goals.
Kovalchick averaged 11.3 points per game and added 4.4 rebounds per game. She had 21 blocks on the season and finished with one of the top field goal percentages in the conference at 52.4 percent.
"Even with the loss of the three senior starters from last year, our best scorers return from last year," Coach DeRubbo said. "We need consistency from them as they will see everyone's best defensive effort. We talk a lot about the commitment to playing both ends of the floor. Both are natural scorers and can score in a variety of ways and then you add Riley to the duo and teams will be unable to just focus on one or two players."
After the graduation of Bezjak and Cherry,
Riley DeRubbo (Washington, Pa./Trinity) will look to play an increased role in Presidents' lineup. After joining the team mid-season, DeRubbo averaged 8.5 points off the bench and drained 20 three-point attempts.
"If I am talking about Riley as my daughter, I can't begin to say how special it was to have her here for our championship run," Coach DeRubbo said. "She has been through a lot with three ACL surgeries and the stress and heartbreak that goes with that. My greatest happiness for her as her mom was when she said she loved playing basketball again and being part of the championship culture at W&J."
Coach DeRubbo stated that it was special to have Riley with the team last season for its championship run.
"As far as my expectations as her coach for the year, her ceiling is very high," Coach DeRubbo said. "She is confident and has learned the system and put the time in over the summer. She can really score the ball in a variety of ways and is an exceptional defender. We are going to expect consistency and leadership from her throughout the year."
Other notable returners include junior
Jacey Mullen (New Springfield, Ohio/Springfield Local), who made 45.1 percent of her field goal attempts. Mullen is expected to play an enhanced role on the glass, as W&J looks to replace its top two rebounders in Dryburgh and Cherry.
Marina Grado (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) will look to take the reigns of the point guard position. Filling in off the bench, Grado had 13 assists and 19 steals last season.
"I am excited to see Marina on the court this year," Coach DeRubbo said. "She is a kid that has just done everything right in the off season. She has played behind and learned from Addy and is ready to take on the role of our point guard. She is super coachable and studies film relentlessly to be sure she is bringing her best to every game and practice. She has really earned the right to lead from the point guard position this year and I am excited to see her excel."
Former PAC Newcomer of the Year
Jaden Wan (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock) returns. Wan has averaged 5.7 points per game over her first two seasons with the team.
Junior
Raegan Kadlecik (McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour) played a key role off the bench last season and led rotational players with 26 assists while pulling down 51 rebounds.
Shannon Conley (West Mifflin, Pa./West Mifflin), also a junior, will compete for minutes in the paint this season. Conley has appeared in 22 games during her first two years with the Red and Black.
Those four will look to alleviate the significant loss in rebounding from last year's squad, which included Dryburgh who finished as the program's all-time leading rebounder.
"As we have prepared for our season, a big stressor for us is rebounding," Coach DeRubbo said. "You simply can't replace what Meghan brought to this program from a rebounding perspective. We must fill that gap by committee and expect Jacey to do a lot of that as well as Katie. We have stressed that our guards be better rebounders both offensively and defensively. I say all the time that rebounding is not necessarily a skill set but a mindset and you have to want to win that battle."
Newcomers: The Presidents welcome the following players in 2025-26:
Ava Capozzoli (Canonsburg, Pa./Chartiers-Houston) G 5-5
Brooke Paylo (South Park, Pa./South Park) G 5-4
Alayna Wagner (Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks) G 5-5
Olivia Kemp (Canonsburg, Pa./Fort Cherry) G 5-8
Michelle Jellison (Monongahela, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) F 5-9
Jasmine Twitty (Rutherford, N.C./East Rutherford) G 5-7
"We have a great group of young players as well as a transfer in our new class," Coach DeRubbo said. "They have fit right in and bring a lot of energy to the team. We will need this young group to continue to get better every day and give us depth at several positions."
About Coach DeRubbo: Jina DeRubbo (Concord '94) enters her 22nd season on the Washington & Jefferson College bench as head women's basketball coach in 2025-26. DeRubbo also serves as the college's Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) and the Title IX Coordinator. She has also served as Assistant Athletic Director since July 2015.
DeRubbo has been named PAC Coach of the Year a total of 11 times during her coaching career. She earned the award for the fourth consecutive time following the 2024-25 season.
DeRubbo, who spent seven seasons leading fellow PAC member Bethany before coming to W&J, has compiled an overall record of 550-210 during her 28-year career. W&J has won 73 percent of its games (419-153) since DeRubbo took over as head coach. She currently ranks 16th among active head coaches in Division III in wins. DeRubbo has compiled winning seasons in 26 of her 28 years as a collegiate head coach.
DeRubbo has been to the postseason 13 times at W&J: five NCAA Division III Tournament appearances (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2022, 2025) and seven ECAC Tournament showings (2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019). The 2008 team won the ECAC Division III Southern Tournament Championship.
In 28 years as a collegiate head coach (21 seasons at W&J; 7 at Bethany), DeRubbo's squads have competed in the postseason 19 times (10 - NCAA, 9 - ECAC). She has also led teams to eight Presidents' Athletic Conference Championships (5 - Bethany, 3 - W&J. DeRubbo has guided 19 different teams to 20-win seasons, including 16 teams at W&J.
DeRubbo also retains assistant coaches
Jill Harris and
Matt Loftis on the staff this season.
Looking Ahead at the Schedule: W&J begins the season receiving the second most votes of teams outside of the preseason Top 25. The Presidents open their season at Penn State Behrend on November 10 before hosting the Hampton Inn Women's Basketball Tipoff. W&J will take on Ohio Northern (November 14) and Mount Union (November 15).
The Presidents wrap up conference play with two matchups against preseason top 25 opponents. At the 39th Annual Jim Meagle Classic, W&J will take on the hosts Marietta and No. 7 SUNY Cortland. Following the event, the Presidents return home to face No. 17 Carnegie Mellon and have a quick trip to Columbus area for games against regional foes Otterbein and Ohio Wesleyan.
Conference play begins with a rematch of last year's conference title game when Chatham comes to town on December 3.
The PAC championship tournament is scheduled for Tuesday, February 24 (Quarterfinals) through Saturday, February 28 (Championship).
Final Word From Coach DeRubbo: "I think the strongest emotion I feel for the upcoming year is excitement. From the outside there may be the expectation that we will not be as successful as we have been. However, these returning players don't want to hear that. They have been working incredibly hard and are excited to put their mark on W&J basketball.
