Summer practice is in the books, the initial set of workouts for the 2025-26 squad under the tutelage of first-year head coach Courtney Boyd complete. Merging seven returnees with nine newcomers, Boyd and her coaching staff have taken the first steps forward with this year's group to have them ready when they step on the court for their season opener in early November.
 
"This summer, we approached things differently than some might," Boyd said. "We are taking the identity piece seriously. We need to understand who we are and where we're headed in order to play hard and consistently to the buzzer. While the baseline of what we plan to do this season is important (i.e., offense, defense, positioning, etc.), that is not the most important. If we aren't playing hard for the person next to us in the summer when things are 'easy', then when the game is tied with 30 seconds left, we aren't going to know how to cheer our team to the win, if we've fouled out. So the cohesiveness of our team became a focal point and we made great strides. Hopefully now that we have that foundation set, when we start to compete for playing time, wins, etc., the TEAM win will take care of itself."
 
The Returnees
 
Seven players return from last season's team for the 2025-26 campaign, taking the next step in their journey as Beacons.
 
Valpo's leading returning scorer is Radford transfer Maci Rhoades. The senior made an immediate impact in her first season with the Beacons, averaging 6.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while ranking third on the team in rebounds and steals. Rhoades scored in double figures 11 times and closed the season strong, scoring 10 or more points in five of the final six regular season games.
 
Fellow senior Fiona Connolly is back after ranking second on the team with 60 assists in her first season after transferring from La Salle. Raeven Raye-Redmond looks to return after suffering a season-ending injury near the end of nonconference play last season — the redshirt sophomore was averaging nearly five points per game and tallying better than two steals per contest before going down. Sophomore Mor Shabtai was able to gain valuable experience at the point, averaging more than 20 minutes per game in MVC play and finishing the year third on the team with 52 assists.
 
Junior Kayla Preston had a pair of double-digit scoring efforts last season in her second season with the Beacons, appearing in 23 games off the bench, while sophomore Kylie Waytashek saw action in 25 games as a rookie and had one double-figure scoring night. Rounding out the returnees is redshirt junior Bella Swedlund who, after an injury-plagued start to her collegiate career, took to the court eight times in her first season with the Beacons.
 
The Transfers
 
Five players with collegiate playing experience elsewhere enter their first season in the Beacon program this year, including one with familiarity playing under Boyd.
 
Mikayla Huffine spent the last two seasons playing at Quincy after starting her collegiate career at Iowa Western C.C. A 5-4 guard, she started all 28 games as a sophomore in 2023-24 and then was a key piece in the Hawks' run to the GLVC tournament championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament last year.
 
"Mikayla has really started coming into her own," Boyd said. "We have challenged her in the past to use her voice and she is finally finding it. She is also finding success in the x's & o's when communicating with her teammates. Her consistency over the summer and understanding of our system is helping us take strides quicker than planned."
 
Milana Nenadic is in her fourth year of college basketball as well, playing last year at Idaho State after two years at Maine. The 6-3 redshirt junior, who already holds two bachelor's degrees and an MBA, was ranked as the number one Canadian player in her graduating class by Blue Star Basketball before reclassifying and was named to the Canadian U16 national team in 2021.
 
"Milana is a workhorse," Boyd said. "She doesn't know what it means to 'take it easy' and her teammates are starting to follow that. With the team success she has had, at the college level, she has a different definition for hard work. She is coachable, getting out of her comfort zone and looking at playing more than one position. She will be a great asset to the progression of this program."
 
Kamryn Winch is another 6-3 redshirt junior entering her fourth season of collegiate basketball. She comes to Valpo after three seasons at Maryville. Winch was a prep standout at North County (Mo.) H.S., averaging 19 points and 15 rebounds per game as a senior as she was named to the area Girls Basketball Winter Dream Team.
 
"Kamryn brings us the size that the women's program has been missing," Boyd said. "We are looking forward to her getting more comfortable with her role on our team, but have been happy with the progress over the summer. Kamryn is continuously working to get her game to the next level in order to find success this season."
 
Kayla Sullivan brings two years of junior college experience with her to the Beacons as the 5-11 forward competed for State Fair C.C. the last two seasons. A Third Team NJCAA Division I All-American and First Team All-Region 16 honoree last year, Sullivan averaged 10.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while helping SFCC win the Region 16 Tournament title and earn a trip to the NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship.
 
"Kayla is coming in as a winner," Boyd said. "She had a tremendous run at her junior college and will be able to bring experience to the court once she gets comfortable in the new system."
 
Kennedy Sproule arrives at the Division I level after playing two seasons at Bay de Noc C.C., where she helped the Norse to back-to-back conference titles and appearances in district tournaments. The 6-1 junior averaged 13.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game over her two seasons while connecting on 174 3-pointers.
 
"Kennedy's length at the guard position is going to be important for us with her ability to shoot the ball," Boyd said. "She has been working tirelessly to get comfortable in our transition and executing her role. We are excited to see where this season will take her game."
 
The Freshmen
 
Four rookies got their first taste of college basketball during summer workouts, as Allia Von Schlegell, Isabella Anderson, Autumn Dibb and Nuala Connolly will enter the 2025-26 season as freshmen.
 
Von Schlegell is a 5-5 freshman guard out of Nazareth Academy in Illinois. She was a Special Mention All-State honoree as a senior, helping to lead Nazareth to a regional title.
 
"There is something about spit fire point guards that our staff loves and Allia is all of that and more," Boyd said. "As a freshman, her IQ, ability to ask questions, and mindset to get it right the first time yet not let it affect her effort has been exactly what we want out of our freshman class this summer."
 
Anderson is a 5-7 freshman guard from Milbank H.S. in South Dakota. She earned Honorable Mention All-State honors in her final season of prep basketball and left Milbank as the school's all-time leading scorer.
 
"Isabella is a pure shooter," Boyd said. "She is going to be a big threat in our transition. There is no question that she is putting in the time to improve her game and take it to the next level as quickly as possible. She challenges herself differently than most, so it makes our job as coaches easy."
 
Dibb is a 5-10 guard out of Muskego H.S. in Wisconsin. She was an Honorable Mention All-State recipient as a senior as she led Muskego to the state championship game. A multi-sport star, she wrapped up her prep career by helping the Muskego girl's soccer program to its fourth straight state title.
 
"Autumn brings a level of competitiveness and winning mentality that you don't see in all freshmen," Boyd said. "After missing the first month of summer with us, she is really starting to come into her own. One thing we won't have to teach Autumn is how to play until the buzzer. The more time she gets with her teammates throughout preseason the more we are going to see her game grow. Excited to see that over the next four years."
 
Connolly joins her sister, Fiona, as a Beacon this year. A 5-11 guard, she most recently played at Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio last season.
 
"Nuala came to us as a surprise. With her sister Fiona already being on the team, I feel like we are getting a steal with Nuala. She is different. She has had a few bumps in the road throughout her basketball career and since being here, she is improving daily. Nuala is going to be a great asset to us and I look forward to coaching her each practice. Her response to coaching and adversity is more mature than most and we are excited for Nuala's future with us."