WASHINGTON, Pa. – Following back-to-back Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament titles and NCAA Tournament appearances, the Washington & Jefferson College women's basketball team will look to maintain its hold on the top of the league in 2026-27.

2025-26 Season Review: The Presidents put together another successful season last year, registering 22 wins and earning the PAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. W&J finished with a 14-2 record in Presidents' Athletic Conference play, which tied them for first in the conference's South Division with Saint Vincent. The Bearcats garnered home court advantage in the PAC Tournament by virtue of their head-to-head sweep of the Presidents during the regular season. The Presidents opened the quarterfinals with a lopsided 80-55 victory over Geneva. W&J then outlasted Chatham by a 58-42 score in a rugged defensive battle in the semifinals. That victory set up a third matchup with Saint Vincent. The Presidents dominated the second half, using a 22-point effort by Katie Kovalchick (Shelocta, Pa./Indiana Area), to take a 64-43 victory over the Bearcats in the PAC finals.

"Winning back-to-back championships was truly special, especially having to go on the road to beat a strong Saint Vincent team who had previously beaten us twice last season," DeRubbo said. "Considering all that we lost to graduation the previous year with two 1,000-point scorers (Meghan Dryburgh and Bryn Bezjak) and a three-year point guard in Adalynn Cherry, winning another title last year was not something we took for granted. The team really focused on getting better every day and playing our best basketball in February."

Three Presidents earned All-Conference honors a season ago. Riley DeRubbo (Washington, Pa./Trinity) and Katie Kovalchick (Shelocta, Pa./Indiana Area) picked up All-PAC First Team honors while Stellanie Loutsion (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) secured All-PAC Second Team accolades.
DeRubbo led the Presidents in scoring (15.2 per game), rebounding (6.3 per game), and three-pointers made (59) last season. DeRubbo ranked second on the squad in assists (79) and third in steals (46). Among conference players, DeRubbo ranks sixth in scoring, second in the PAC and 29th in the NCAA in free throw percentage (85.2 percent), fifth in three-point percentage (34.3 percent) and third in three-pointers made (59).

Kovalchick earned All-PAC honors for a second-straight season. After gaining a spot as Honorable Mention as a sophomore, Kovalchick turned her game up to another level last season. She ranked second on the team in scoring (15.3 per game) and added 5.5 rebounds per game to go along with 51 assists, 32 steals and a team-high 31 blocks.

The All-PAC honor was the third-straight for Loutsion, who averaged 14.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. The senior led the team with 55 steals, ranked second with 23 blocks and third with 61 assists. Loutsion continued to be one of the top free throw shooters in the country, converting at an 85.9 percent clip to rank 24th in Division III.

Returning Players:
Despite a few key losses in DeRubbo and Loutsion, the Presidents return five seniors to lead the way for the 2026-27 campaign. While Kovalchick has earned All-PAC honors the past two seasons, the other four seniors have all made their own mark on the floor the past three seasons.

"This senior class is special and all very different players and honestly such different personalities," DeRubbo stated. "This group knows what is expected of them on a daily basis and have really taken to our young players. It is a very well-rounded class on the court and can all play together in any role we ask them to take on. We have in this group different leadership styles and every underclassman can find someone they relate to."

Kovalchick, standing at 6-3, is hard to overlook on the court and the stat sheet. The senior center has totaled 907 points, 374 rebounds and 114 assists over the past three seasons. Kovalchick has also been extremely efficient in her work, converting 52.7 percent from the field, 37.4 percent from three-point range and 78 percent from the free throw line.

"Katie was an absolute dominate force for us last season. She can score from anywhere on the floor and is one of our best three-point shooters, which makes her incredibly hard to guard," DeRubbo said. "I thought last season she made great strides in her defense, and we will need her to continue to get better on the boards. I think that Katie will be one of the best centers in Division III basketball this season."
Grado returns after a breakout junior campaign. While a lot of her work went unnoticed on the stat sheet, Grado turned in critical work as a facilitator at point guard last year. Grado averaged 7.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. She finished with 97 assists and 51 steals during last season.  

"Marina had a breakout season last year," DeRubbo added. "Her growth was remarkable and was a testament to the work she put in. She spent countless hours working on her game and watching film with Coach Jill to make sure she could deliver exactly what the team needed. I expect her to continue to grow and be more of a scoring presence for us this season."

Both Jacey Mullen (New Springfield, Ohio/Springfield Local) and Raegan Kadlecik (McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour) expect to be in the mix for starting roles again this season. The two combined to start 23 games a season ago. 

"Jacey and Raegan have been the players that do whatever we ask them to do, no matter how small or big the role is," DeRubbo lauded. "Jacey is simply the most reliable player on our team. She is a great defender, doesn't make mistakes, get rebounds, and simply just does her job. She has the ability to score, she scored 1,600 points in high school, and this year we are asking her to make that a priority in her game. Raegan is going to have a fantastic season; she is tough, a gritty defender, and can really get to the rim.  We are asking her to be more than a role player this season, which she is more than capable of and she is excited about growing in her role. Raegan is by far our most vocal leader on the team and will be expected to lead on and off the court."

The final returning senior is Jaden Wan (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock), a former PAC Newcomer of the Year as a freshman. Wan put together a steady season last year by averaging 6.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. Wan converted 45.1 percent from the field and at a 38.5 percent clip from three-point range.

"Jaden is a very skilled player who has the ability to put up really big numbers," DeRubbo said. "She has had a great preseason for us, and we are hopeful that she can fill that gap offensively left by losing Stella and Riley last season.  Jaden is also a very dedicated student who is pursuing medical school, and she is so involved in campus life as well as the SAAC president for the PAC. I have been amazed at her ability to be involved in so many things and still make basketball a priority."

Additional returners back in 2026-27 are sophomores Michelle Jellison (Monongahela, Pa./Elizabeth Forward), Brooke Paylo (South Park, Pa./South Park) and Alayna Wagner (Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks). Each of the three will be looking to make an impact in the rotation this season after all logging minutes off the bench last year.

Newcomers: The Presidents welcome five new players to the program. The group includes four first-year college players and a sophomore transfer. 

1             Bri Morreale (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township)                    Fr.          G            5-5        Venetia, Pa. / Peters Township          
5             Kylie Fruehstorfer (New Castle, Pa./Union)        So.         G            5-5        New Castle, Pa. / Union
10          Samantha Miller (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan)          Fr.          G            5-6        Canonsburg, Pa. / Canon-McMillan
22          Bella Stromberg (South Park, Pa./South Park)           Fr.          C            6-3        South Park, Pa. / South Park                               
24          Annika Burkhart (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson)           Fr.          G            5-6        Columbus, Ohio / Hilliard Davidson

"We have a strong group of newcomers added to our team this season," DeRubbo stated. "Our transfer Kylie Fruehstorfer (New Castle, Pa./Union) will make an immediate impact for us as she can handle the ball and is a three-level scorer. She has fit right in with our team and has picked up the system fairly quickly. We have three freshmen guards in Bri Morreale (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township), Sam Miller and Annika Burkhardt that can all shoot the three, which is something that we really need from our bench. Bella Stromberg (South Park, Pa./South Park) is a 6-2 center who can really run the floor and has great shot blocking abilities. She is a player who will see so much growth this year and has a bright future in front of her."

PAC Players To Watch: Katie Kovalchick (Shelocta, Pa./Indiana Area), Marina Grado (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway), Raegan Kadlecik (McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour)

PAC Preseason Poll (South Division): 

2026-27 PAC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll (South Division)
School (first-place votes)	Points	2025-26 record (conference)
1. Washington & Jefferson College (9)	68	22-7 (14-2 PAC)
2. Saint Vincent College (2)	58	21-7 (14-2 PAC)
3. Chatham University (2)	53	18-8 (10-6 PAC)
4. Bethany College	39	17-10 (11-5 PAC)
5. Waynesburg University	32	12-13 (8-8 PAC)
6. Franciscan University	17	3-22 (0-16 PAC)
Saint Francis University*	---	3-26 (3-16 NEC)

* - Ineligible for PAC Championship as school reclassifies from Division I
                                               
Looking Ahead At The Schedule: The Presidents will face a challenging non-conference schedule to open the 2026-27 season. W&J hosts Transylvania and Case Western Reserve at the annual tip-off tournament, which this year will be named in honor of longtime head coach Vicki Staton. The Presidents' opener against the Pioneers will be a matchup of two teams that appeared in the NCAA Tournament last winter. The matchup with CWRU will be the first between the two programs since the 2019-20 season.

The Presidents will host Denison University, the defending NCAA Division III National Champions on Nov. 11. The Big Red went from unranked in last year's preseason poll to the top team by season's end in 2025-26.

"Our preseason schedule is tough to say the least," DeRubbo said.  "We have four strong teams non-conference opponents to start the season, so we will need to hit the ground running. We often talk about focusing on getting better every game and the results should take care of themselves.  We hope we step up to the challenge, and it should make us stronger down the road.

A week later, W&J faces preseason No. 25 Carnegie Mellon on Nov. 18. Other out-of-conference games pit W&J against Marietta (Dec. 1), Anderson (Dec. 18) and Wittenberg (Dec. 19). The Presidents' two games against Saint Francis will both count as non-conference results until the Red Wolves gain full NCAA Division III and PAC status.

Highlighting the fall semester conference schedule is a road trip to Chatham on Dec. 5. After the turn of the calendar, notable games include the PAC Championship game rematches with Saint Vincent, which include a Jan. 20 game in Washington and a Feb. 20 matchup in Latrobe. The Presidents will host Senior Day on Jan. 30 versus Hiram. The final regular season home game comes against Chatham on Feb. 17.

The Coaching Staff: Jina DeRubbo (Concord '94) enters her 23rd season on the Washington & Jefferson College bench as head women's basketball coach in 2026-27.  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 most recently earned the award four-straight times following from 2021 through 2025.

DeRubbo, who spent seven seasons leading fellow PAC member Bethany before coming to W&J, has compiled an overall record of 572-217 during her 29-year career. W&J has won 73 percent of its games (441-160) 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 27 of her 29 years as a collegiate head coach.

DeRubbo has been to the postseason 14 times at W&J: seven NCAA Division III Tournament appearances (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2022, 2025, 2026) and seven ECAC Tournament showings (2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019).

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.

Jill Harris returns for her third season as the top assistant coach for DeRubbo. Harris has made a significant impact in both seasons, which has resulted in two conference titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances. 
 
Coach DeRubbo Regarding the Vicki Staton Tip-off Tournament:
"I am so happy we named the tournament the Vicki Staton Memorial Tip Off, it doesn't begin to touch the impact she had on women athletes at W&J or for me personally. Vicki was like family to me and we talk about her often with recruits and their families so we can continue to share her love of WJ.  She helped to shape hundreds of women lives as they passed through their times here."