Baker, Leonard Earn First-Team Honors; Penguins Picked Second in #HLWBB Preseason Poll
10/8/2026 1:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Youngstown State was picked to finish second in the 2026-27 Under Armour Horizon League Women's Basketball Preseason Poll, and Sarah Baker and Jada Leonard were named to the preseason first team. The conference office released the results of the poll of the league's 12 head coaches on Thursday.
Baker, a junior forward, is one of seven returning players and three returning starters from last year's team that finished 25-10 overall and 15-5 in conference play. The Florence, Ky., native averaged 11.5 points and reached double figures a team-high 23 times in 2025-26 while earning a spot on the Horizon League All-Freshman Team. Baker ranked third in the Horizon League last season with a .525 field-goal percentage, and she was a two-time HL Freshman of the Week.
Leonard, a fifth-year transfer point guard, has averaged 11.5 points, 2.4 steals and 2.4 assists per game over 92 contests in her first three collegiate seasons. The Bronx, N.Y., native's first two active seasons were in 2022-23 and 2023-24 at Saint Peter's. Leonard redshirted the 2024-25 season at Bryant before playing the 2025-26 campaign at Cleveland State. She was named to the Horizon League All-Defensive Team last season for the Vikings after leading the Horizon League and ranking 21st in the country with 2.9 steals per game.
The Penguins received 132 total points to be slotted second while Green Bay, the defending regular-season and tournament champion, received 142 total points. Robert Morris was picked third with 112 points. RMU was followed by Oakland, which received 108 points, in fourth while IU Indy was selected fifth with 86 points.
Northern Kentucky (79 points) and Cleveland State (68) were sixth and seventh, while Northern Illinois (54), Detroit Mercy (51), Milwaukee (40), Purdue Fort Wayne (34) and Wright State (30) were placed eighth through 12th in the poll.
Baker and Leonard were joined on the Preseason All-League First Team by the Preseason Player of the Year Mackenzie Luehring of Oakland; Green Bay's Meghan Schultz; and RMU's Myriam Traore. The second team consisted of Green Bay's Jorey Buwalda, Elisa Mevius and Maddie Skorupski, as well as IU Indy's Olivia Smith and NIU's Neveah Wingate.
YSU opens the season on Nov. 2 by hosting Hiram at 6:30 p.m. at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. That is the first of four non-conference games in November for the Penguins, who will begin the Horizon League portion of the schedule on Dec. 3 by hosting Milwaukee. Season tickets are available by calling the YSU Athletic Ticket Office at (330) 941-1978.
2026-27 Under Armour #HLWBB Preseason Poll
| Pl. | Team | Pts. |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Green Bay | 142 |
| 2. | Youngstown State | 132 |
| 3. | Robert Morris | 112 |
| 4. | Oakland | 108 |
| 5. | IU Indianapolis | 86 |
| 6. | Northern Kentucky | 79 |
| 7. | Cleveland State | 68 |
| 8. | Northern Illinois | 54 |
| 9. | Detroit Mercy | 51 |
| 10. | Milwaukee | 40 |
| 11. | Purdue Fort Wayne | 34 |
| 12. | Wright State | 30 |
#HLWBB Preseason Player of the Year
Mackenzie Luehring, Oakland
Preseason All-League First Team (alphabetical order by school)
- Meghan Schultz, Green Bay
- Mackenzie Luehring, Oakland
- Myriam Traore, RMU
- Sarah Baker, Youngstown State
- Jada Leonard, Youngstown State
Preseason All-League Second Team (alphabetical order by school)
- Jorey Buwalda, Green Bay
- Elisa Mevius, Green Bay
- Maddie Skorupski, Green Bay
- Olivia Smith, IU Indianapolis
- Neveah Wingate, NIU
