Maddy Skorupski had an outstanding case for the Horizon League’s Player of the Year award last season. As it was, she made the all-conference first team as a junior, thanks to finishing third in the HL in scoring (16.3), sixth in assists (3.1), and first in steals (2.8).
The only thing that kept her from the league’s highest individual award was, arguably, her Oakland team’s 9-22 record.
Consider that issue rectified, as Skorupski used the occasion of an OU coaching change to move on to two-time defending champion Green Bay in the spring. Accordingly, the HoriZone Roundtable staff has picked the Clarkston, MI native as its 2025-26 HL Preseason Player of the Year.
The Phoenix led the conference with three total selections, as Jenna Guyer and Kamy Peppler (herself a previously-established Horizon Leaguer who transferred to Green Bay) joined Skorupski among the 15 chosen student-athletes. Cleveland State, led by former Player of the Year Colbi Maples, Robert Morris, Milwaukee, Youngstown State, and Purdue Fort Wayne each boast a pair of selections, while single picks from Detroit Mercy and Northern Kentucky round out the list.
First Team
| Player | Pos. | School |
|---|---|---|
| Maddy Skorupski* | G | Green Bay |
| Colbi Maples | G | Cleveland State |
| Jenna Guyer | C | Green Bay |
| Sophia Gregory | F | Youngstown State |
| Jordan Reid | F | Purdue Fort Wayne |
| *Player of the Year |
It’s never entirely accurate to describe players as one-for-one replacements for the departed, but it’s easy to see a lot of Natalie McNeal in Maddy Skorupski, at least in terms of how Kayla Karius might use her. Neither McNeal nor Skorupski are lights-out from three-point range, but both have the ability to score from just about anywhere inside the arc, which should allow Green Bay to continue to exploit some of the lesser-guarded areas of the floor. There is also the matter of Skorupski’s defense – always an important quality for any Phoenix – which should help GB take their opponent’s best guard out of the game most of the time.
Colbi Maples has already proven that she’s one of the best players in the Horizon League. That much was confirmed by her Player of the Year award in 2023-24. What’s a bit less certain is how she will bounce back from an ACL tear suffered last November, particularly given that her explosion on dribble drives is a fundamental part of her game. However, if all goes well, Cleveland State will have essentially re-added the conference’s top point guard. Two years ago, Maples averaged 16.6 points, 4.1 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. Furthermore, she was ninth nationally in free throw attempts, thanks largely to that quick first step.
For a long time, Jenna Guyer has been a heavily-underrated part in the Green Bay machine. However, this season might finally be the redshirt senior’s turn to rise to the top of a reshuffled Phoenix roster after serving as a change-of-pace center, primarily behind Jasmine Kondrakiewicz. Even though she played just 15 minutes per game last year, Guyer’s rate-based statistics were fantastic, including an effective field goal percentage of 57.1, along with 1.21 points per scoring attempt. Perhaps the most terrifying part of Guyer’s game is that she’s also an elite shooter. She knocked down 40.4 percent of her three-point tries in 2024-25 (at a healthy volume), and connected on 84.6 percent of her free throws.
At a recent press conference, Youngstown State coach Melissa Jackson said “I’m going to feed the posts and pound it inside until somebody stops us.” That might never happen, given that Sophia Gregory is the Penguins’ leading post player. During the closing stretch of what became a Horizon League Freshman of the Year season, the Alliance, OH product assembled six straight games of 13 or more points, four of which were also double-doubles (in all, the 6-2 pivot had five such outings). Quite possibly, the only thing that might be able to slow Gregory down is YSU’s tremendous frontcourt depth, as Jackson tries to get everyone on the floor.
Purdue Fort Wayne unearthed a gem last season in Jordan Reid, a highly-athletic – she famously won a state title as a football kicker in high school – sparkplug who instantly improved the Mastodons’ fortunes just about every time she checked into a game. The former NAIA All-American became the Horizon League’s Sixth Player of the Year after averaging 7.1 points per game, though she’ll likely take on a much more substantial role within Maria Marchesano’s rebuilt roster. That responsibility won’t be anything that scares Reid, who averaged 14.6 field goal attempts per 40 minutes in 2024-25.
Second Team
| Player | Pos. | School |
|---|---|---|
| Aaliyah McQueen | G | Detroit Mercy |
| Faith Burch | F | Youngstown State |
| Kamy Peppler | G | Green Bay |
| Macey Fegan | F | Cleveland State |
| Kamora Morgan | G | Northern Kentucky |
After a nomadic college career that included stops at Illinois, Oakland, and Madonna University, Aaliyah McQueen finally found a home at Detroit Mercy last season, where she teamed with Emaia O’Brien to give the resurgent Titans one of the conference’s best backcourts. McQueen’s work rate is unsurpassed, as she frequently beats much larger players to her 7.4 rebounds per game, the fourth-best number in the HL. The Flint, MI native’s 1.9 steals per game placed even better (third), and oh yeah, there’s also the matter of her 13.6 points per game, ninth in the conference.
Youngstown isn’t just the name of one of the Horizon League’s #MajorCities, it’s also a pretty good description of the roster in the conference’s Mahoning Valley outpost. For that reason, veterans like new guard Casey Santoro and power forward Faith Burch are of special importance to the Penguins. Burch, nicknamed “Lady Rodman,” follows the NBA legend in several ways, not the least of which is her willingness to perform garbage collection duties in the name of giving the Guins additional opportunities. She averaged 1.9 offensive rebounds per game last year, part of her 5.8 overall average, and added 6.9 points, many beginning with those rebounds.
When Green Bay lost Bailey Butler to graduation, Karius had a pretty good idea: dip into the transfer portal and grab Kamy Peppler, who might have been the second-best conventional point guard in the conference while at Milwaukee last season. As a Panther, Peppler fired home roughly ten points per game over the last two seasons (11.3 in 2023-24, followed by 9.3 a year ago), while handing off about 4.5 assists per game. All of that should work tremendously well for the Phoenix, which typically relies on its ones for ball distribution, defense, and the occasional three-pointer.
Given Cleveland State’s roster turnover, players like Maples and Macey Fegan will be crucial as the Vikings attempt to build some fresh continuity. For her part, Fegan enjoyed an extremely successful first season at CSU, locking down a regular starting assignment at the two-guard (a position change that was necessitated mostly by Maples’ injury), and responding with 4.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. She built a strong understanding of Chris Kielsmeier’s nuanced zone as 2024-25 went on, and could potentially end up filling the two-way hole left by the graduated Sara Guerreiro (and Carmen Villalobos before her).
Had it not been for Gregory’s dominance over the second half of the season, Kamora Morgan may very well have been the Horizon League Freshman of the Year. The six-footer from Oshawa, Ontario enjoyed an impressive run with Canada’s U18 team last summer, then parlayed it into a rookie season at NKU that included 7.5 points per game, a pair of conference freshman of the week awards, and eventually, a place on the HL’s all-freshman team. If Morgan can develop some consistency, look out: she topped 20 points three times last year, and shot a combined 25-for-47 in those contests.
Third Team
| Player | Pos. | School |
|---|---|---|
| Sophia Rampulla | G | Milwaukee |
| Alana Nelson | F | Purdue Fort Wayne |
| Noa Givon | G | Robert Morris |
| Jorey Buwalda | F | Milwaukee |
| Bailey Kuhns | F | Robert Morris |
Sophia Rampulla’s placement on a preseason all-conference team might seem awkward, given that she’s only played 62 minutes in two years at Milwaukee. However, the former Union Grove High School star is precisely the sort of Kendall Nead-style player who almost always thrives for the Panthers. Specifically, she’s a natural scorer with good size who can present an option for UWM’s passing bigs, while creating mismatches all over the floor. Rampulla’s defense, the biggest hole in her game, has reportedly made massive strides, so don’t be surprised by a breakout redshirt sophomore season.
Most might not know Alana Nelson’s name yet, but chances are, they’ll become acquainted pretty quickly once the season gets underway. After all, she was an NAIA All-American in each of her three years at Spring Arbor University (second team twice, honorable mention once), and Purdue Fort Wayne’s coaching staff has demonstrated a rare aptitude for finding NAIA players who can make a big impact in Division I (see: Reid). In Nelson’s final season as a Cougar, she averaged a double-double, with 21.6 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. That wasn’t an aberration; she also accomplished the feat in 2022-23 and came close in 2023-24.
Amidst a parade of changes, both large and small, at Robert Morris over the last year and a half, Noa Givon has remained a steady force for the Colonials. There’s nothing particularly flashy about her game, but the former Iona guard can score – she was RMU’s leader last season, offering 10.8 points per game, and shooting 47 percent from two-point range – lead, rebound, and defend. Don’t underrate that last piece in a program that’s always prided itself on its work away from the ball, as Givon’s 5-10 frame has proven disruptive on the perimeter, including 1.1 steals per game last year.
For a long time, Milwaukee’s identity has depended on a tough yet skilled group of post players and power forwards. Jorey Buwalda appears to finally be next in line this season, after spending her first two college years primarily as a reserve and spot starter. She averaged 10.5 rebounds per 40 minutes as a sophomore, a number that placed her among elite company in the HL, including Gregory, Burch, and Kondrakiewicz. Offensively, the 2023-24 all-freshman team selection has proven capable of the occasional blowup, including a 20-point effort at Northern Kentucky on January 23rd where she connected on eight of her 11 field goal tries.
Bailey Kuhns, in some ways, is the exact sort of player who can take Robert Morris’ program to the next level. For starters, she’s a Western Pennsylvania native (Mount Pleasant), and “localizing” the Colonials has been a priority for Chandler McCabe. Of course, it also helps to be able to play basketball well, and Kuhns certainly offers that too. She spent her first three collegiate seasons at Mercyhurst, culminating in a 2024-25 campaign where she led the NEC in scoring (and placed 22nd nationally) with 20.3 points per game, an effort that led to first team all-conference honors.
Preview Week 2025-26
MBB: Preseason Poll | Preseason All-League | Preseason Awards
WBB: Preseason Poll | Preseason All-League | Preseason Awards
Cleveland State (MBB | WBB) | Detroit Mercy (MBB | WBB) | Green Bay (MBB | WBB) | IU Indy (MBB | WBB)
Milwaukee (MBB | WBB) | Northern Kentucky (MBB | WBB) | Oakland (MBB | WBB) | Purdue Fort Wayne (MBB | WBB)
Robert Morris (MBB | WBB) | Wright State (MBB | WBB) | Youngstown State (MBB | WBB)
