WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tamika Williams-Jeter didn't want to get into specifics about the injuries facing her team in the preseason, but she admitted her Dayton Flyers team has some issues as the 2026-27 season opener approaches.
Williams-Jeter, who appeared at Atlantic 10 Conference Media Day on Monday, Oct. 19, is still optimistic about Dayton's chances. She expects the team to be in a better place with its health by the time the season starts in two weeks.
In the A-10 preseason poll, released Monday, the Flyers were picked to finish fifth behind Saint Joseph's, Davidson, George Washington and George Mason.
Dayton was also picked to finish fifth last season, and it placed seventh with a 9-9 record. It was 17-14 overall.
The program last won the regular-season championship in 2022, the final season for coach Shauna Green, who left to take the job at Illinois. That was Dayton's seventh title in 10 years.
Williams-Jeter enters her fifth season with a record of 54-67.
"It's always a great experience to be here," Williams-Jeter said at a press conference Monday, "and the A-10 has really grown me as a head coach. It's a new season with five new head coaches and a lot of new players. When I came into this league, you knew who was going to be at the top of the league. You knew how much you were going to lose to Richmond and Davidson by, and Rhode Island might beat you by 30, right? Now the parity is there, and I think it's going to make for an enjoyable season."
Dayton opens the season at 7 p.m. Nov. 5 against Illinois State at UD Arena. Its second game, also at home, comes four days later against Penn State.
Although the health of the team is a question mark, Williams-Jeter said, "I like our athleticism. I like our length. I like the fact that we brought in kids, even our freshmen, who can dribble, shoot and pass. We're able to play a little bit differently this year. I think that's where we are in Year 5. It just feels a little bit different."
Junior guard Olivia Leung, who averaged 8.7 points per game last season, made the A-10 preseason third team. Senior center Fatima Ibrahim, who averaged 7.3, made the all-defensive team.
Junior Ajok Madol, who averaged 7.8, represented the team at Media Day. She likes the five newcomers — two transfers and three freshmen — on the 12-player roster.
"They all add something that we need in every aspect," Madol said. "The freshmen are fearless and competitive, which is not something you really see from a lot of freshmen. They are willing to compete, and they want to win. That is really good to see, and it's fun to play with them and see how they've grown. Even from the summer up until now, they've improved a lot, which is what we're going to need throughout the season, because depth is very important for us."
ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE2026-27 Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Preseason Poll & AwardsPRESEASON POLL
1, Saint Joseph's, 196 (14) 2, Davidson, 181 3, George Washington, 141 4, George Mason, 138 5, Dayton, 127 6, Saint Louis, 123 7, VCU, 106 8, Richmond, 101 9, Rhode Island, 97 10, La Salle, 78 11, St. Bonaventure, 59 12, Duquesne, 51 13, Fordham, 40 14, Loyola Chicago, 32
Number in parentheses indicates number of first-place votes.
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
Player, School, Year, Position, Height, PPG, RPG, APG
Katie Donovan, Davidson, Sr., G/F, 5-11, 12.1, 3.1, 1.3
Gabby Reynolds, George Washington, Jr., G, 5-9, 14.6, 4.3, 1.2
Sophia Vital, Rhode Island, Sr., G, 5-3, 7.7, 5.4, 3.6
Ally Sweeney, Richmond, Sr., G, 5-6, 10.5, 3.0, 4.4
Gabby Casey, Saint Joseph's, Sr., G, 5-9, 15.7, 6.2, 3.1
Alyssa Koerkenmeier, Saint Louis, So., C, 6-6, 12.1, 9.5, 1.5
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
Player, School, Year, Position, Height, PPG, RPG, APG
Alexis Black, Fordham, Gr., G, 5-9, 16.3, 3.0, 3.2
Mary Amoateng, George Mason, So., G, 5-8, 8.5, 2.8, 2.3
Sara Lewis, George Washington, Sr., F, 6-1, 11.2, 6.1, 1.6
Joanie Quinn, La Salle, Jr., G, 5-9, 11.2, 3.3, 2.6
Aleah Snead, Saint Joseph's, Sr., G, 5-11, 11.6, 5.4, 3.2
Macy Spencer, VCU, Sr., G, 5-8, 18.6*, 3.2*, 2.3*
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE THIRD TEAM
Player, School, Year, Position, Height, PPG, RPG, APG
Kyra Bruyndoncx, Davidson, Jr., G, 5-11, 7.4, 3.6, 0.6
Olivia Leung, Dayton, Jr., G, 5-10, 8.7, 3.0, 1.4
Anovia Sheals, George Mason, Jr., G, 5-11, 14.1*, 5.9*, 2.3*
Kiara Williams, La Salle, Jr., F, 6-0, 9.6, 4.9, 1.9
Rhian Stokes, Saint Joseph's, Jr., G, 5-7, 9.8, 2.5, 3.3
Katarina Knežević, VCU, Jr., G/F, 6-0, 10.3, 6.1, 1.8
PRESEASON ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Player, School, Year, Position, Height, PPG, RPG, APG
Fatima Ibrahim, Dayton, Sr., C, 6-3, 7.3, 6.5, 0.3
Mary Amoateng, George Mason, So., G, 5-8, 8.5, 2.8, 2.3
Sophia Vital, Rhode Island, Sr., G, 5-3, 7.7, 5.4, 3.6
Aleah Snead, Saint Joseph's, Sr., G, 5-11, 11.6, 5.4, 3.2
Alyssa Koerkenmeier, Saint Louis, So., C, 6-6, 12.1, 9.5, 1.5
