Youngstown State head women's basketball coach Melissa Jackson and sixth-year senior guard Casey Santoro talked with area media members after the Penguins completed their second official practice of the 2025-26 preseason.

Speaking on Tuesday from the Beeghly Center film room above Zidian Family Arena, Jackson and Santoro outlined the team's strengths and shared excitement for the upcoming season. YSU's 2025-26 campaign, the second with Jackson as head coach, begins at home on Nov. 3 against Thiel.

Preseason Notes

Penguins Enter Second Season Under Coach Melissa Jackson

Youngstown State is entering its second season under head coach Melissa Jackson in 2025-26. Jackson is the ninth head coach in program history, and she helped the Penguins close the 2024-25 regular season strongly. YSU won three of its final four games of the regular season with road victories at Detroit Mercy and Oakland and a win over Cleveland State in the home finale.

Roster Composition

Youngstown State has 12 student-athletes on its 2025-26 roster, and Bella Samz is the longest-tenured Penguin entering her third season at YSU. YSU has two seniors, sixth-year guard Casey Santoro and fifth-year post Faith Burch, two juniors, four sophomores, three redshirt freshmen and one true freshman on its squad.

Letterwinners Returning/Lost — 6/5
Starters Returning/Lost — 2/3
Newcomers — 1 true freshman; 3 redshirt freshmen; 2 transfers

Players Coming In

Casey Santoro — sixth-year senior point guard; transfer from FGCU who began her career at Kent State; 905 career points and 236 career assists.
Paulina Hernandez — junior post; transfer from Cleveland State; played in 55 games for the Vikings over two seasons.
Brooke Adkins — freshman guard; three-time all-state selection in West Virginia; state champion her senior year.

Key Departures

YSU will be without its top two scorers from last season as guards Jewel Watkins and Malia Magestro have exhausted their eligibility. Watkins averaged 15.3 points and ranked third in the Horizon League in scoring and 3-pointers per game. Magestro spent five seasons at Youngstown State and finished her Penguins career with 1,280 points and 212 3-pointers.

Welcoming Back Key Members from Injury

In addition to the three newcomers, YSU is hoping to get a big boost from three student-athletes who missed most or all of the 2024-25 season.

• Sarah Baker — missed the final 22 games of the season with a lower body injury; was the Horizon League Freshman of the Week three times in the first five weeks of the season.
• Danielle Cameron — missed the final 29 games with a lower body injury; scored 10 points in the season opener and was a big contributor in closed scrimmages before the season.
• Ashlynn Van Tassell — missed the entire season with a lower body injury; West Virginia co-player of the year as a senior in high school.

Gregory Aims to Build on Freshman-of-the-Year Season

Sophia Gregory stepped into a starting role partway through the 2024-25 season and went on to be named the Horizon League Women's Basketball Freshman of the Year. She led all conference freshmen in points, rebounds, blocks and steals per game as well as double-doubles. Gregory was a three-time Horizon League Freshman of the Week, and she finished her first collegiate season averaging averaging 10.2 points along with team highs of 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

Continuing Strong Academic Tradition

For the fourth time in the last six seasons, Youngstown State's women's basketball program has had one of the top three grade-point averages in the country. The 2024-25 team registered a combined GPA of 3.781 to rank third on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll. That follows last year's achievement of leading the country.