By John Ostapowicz, Special to the HoriZone Roundtable
From recruiting through the NCAA transfer portal to elevating freshmen to starting roles, the Youngstown State women’s basketball program looks to improve from a 2024-25 season filled with firsts.
With first-year head coach Melissa Jackson heading into her second season at the team’s helm, she helped elevate the program in a competitive field of conference opponents. Jackson put together a top-five defense and the best offensive rebounding team in the Horizon League. She also helped the team beat Cleveland State University at Zidian Family Area in Beeghly Center, and coached Horizon League Freshman of the Year Sophia Gregory.
To wrap up the 2024-25 season, the Penguins rounded out the campaign with a 12-19 overall record and 7-13 in Horizon League play. The team also reached the first round of the 2025 Barbasol Horizon League Women’s Basketball Championship against Wright State University on March 4 but fell short 73-58.
Last season, the Penguins ranked No. 10 in offensive scoring, averaging under 60 points per game. From the three-point line, Youngstown State also struggled shooting 28.3% as a team.
Over the offseason, Jackson said the team worked on offensive scoring, especially in the post, and rebounding, while trying to advance the defense to become top-three in the Horizon League for the 2025-26 season.
“We want to be in that top three category, and so we’ll be able to clean up the glass as well. You know, that’s always been a strong area of myself and our style of play,” Jackson said. “We always start with our man-to-man concepts. We’re a little bit farther ahead than we were last year in some of those areas, and then we’ll put our zones in much sooner than we did last year.”
The team returns nine players and welcomes three newcomers to round out the 12 student-athletes on the roster. Jackson said the amount of players who elected to return to Youngstown State speaks volumes about the foundation and culture she laid in her first year.
“Those student-athletes really believe in our program, and that’s been wonderful to come into practice, whether it was this summer or now — official practice — and they know the drills, they know the standard [and] they know the expectations,” Jackson said. “[The program added] some fantastic transfers that are going to make an immediate impact into our program, and a lone freshman that probably is a little bit ahead of her years.”
As a whole, the team lost five players, which included offensive leaders Jewel Watkins and Malia Magestro, who averaged double figures last season. Abby Liber, Haley Thierry and Xoe Rosalez, who had major contributions to the program, also departed.
Despite the departures, the Penguins added Casey Santoro, sixth-year senior, from Florida Gulf Coast University and Paulina Hernandez, junior, from Cleveland State University, who bring playoff experience to the roster.
Santoro said her decision to come to Youngstown State was based on two factors — coaching and its proximity to home.
“I just decided that I would like to come closer to home, which is two hours from home, and then obviously, I played against Jackson when I was at Kent State [University]. I just really believe in her and she believes in me. And I know my last year that I wanted to play for someone that believes in me and I know what she’s capable of as a coach,” Santoro said.
During last year’s campaign, the team also battled through injuries. Sarah Baker, redshirt freshman, missed 22 games despite being named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week three times. Danielle Cameron, redshirt freshman, sustained an injury that sidelined her for 29 games to finish the season. She only scored 10 points in the season opener against Lake Erie College.
The most impactful injury was to Ashlynn Van Tassell, redshirt freshman, who sat out the entire 2024-25 season due to a lower body injury.
For the 2025-26 season, Youngstown State will have several notable games including a trip to Michigan State University on November 12 in East Lansing, MI, as the Penguins will play a Big Ten Conference opponent for the second-consecutive year.
The University of Toledo is scheduled for November 25 at YSU. The two teams will play for the first time since 2013 in a rematch of the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
Another contest features the reunion between Jackson and the University of Akron on November 30, where she coached the Zips from 2018 to 2023.
The 2025-26 season will officially kickoff for the Penguins at 11 a.m. on November 3 against Thiel College at Zidian Family Arena in Beeghly Center.
Returning Players
Sophia Gregory, 6-2, Forward, OH, West Branch High School
In Gregory’s freshman season, she was named the Horizon League Freshman of the Year. Gregory was also named to the conference’s All-Freshman Team. For YSU, she became the third player to be named to the award and first since Nneka Obiazor during the 2020-21 season. Gregory averaged 10.2 ppg and 7.9 rpg and she also recorded 50 assists, 36 steals and 33 blocks. Her proficiency was 49% within the field and led the Penguins in rebounds, blocks and steals per game.
Sarah Baker, 6-2, Forward, Florence, KY, Ryle High School
Before an injury sidelined Baker for 22 games, she was on her way to a historic freshman season. She was named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week three times, and in only nine games she averaged 7.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg and 1.9 assists per game. Baker’s field proficiency was 44.3% as she went 27-for-61 during the 2024-25 season.
Faith Burch, 6-1, Forward, Warren, OH, Cleveland State
Transferring in from in-state rival Cleveland State over the 2023-24 offseason, Burch made a substantial impact this season. For the Penguins, she played in 26 games and started in 22. Over that span, she averaged 6.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg and played over 21 minutes a contest. Burch was also proficient against Horizon League opponents, as she shot 46.5% over conference play.
Erica King, 5-7, Guard, Akron, OH, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School
As a freshman, King made an instant impact as a rotation player for the Penguins. She was the only freshman to play in all contests last season and started eight games. Although King only averaged 5.5 ppg and 1.1 rpg over her 31-game stint, she averaged 9.6 ppg in the games she started in.
Danielle Cameron, 5-9, Guard, Olmsted Falls, OH, Olmsted Falls High School
In her second game of the 2024-25 campaign, Cameron suffered a season-ending injury. Despite an early exit, she scored 10 points on two 3-pointers to go along with two field goals against Lake Erie. At Olmsted Falls High School, Cameron helped the school earn its first state title.
Bella Samz, 5-8, Guard, Oconomowoc, WI, Arrowhead High School
Samz is the longest tenured member on the Penguins squad, as she returns for her third year with the program. As a sophomore, she played in 27 games off the bench and started two contests. In that span, she averaged 1.6 ppg, 1.1 rpg and 1.1 assists per game. Against Cleveland State, she was instrumental in the team’s victory with a 3-pointer late in the game to secure the win.
Hayden Barrier, 5-7, Guard, Mount Sterling, KY, Montgomery County High School
Another freshman player who added offensive depth to the team was Barrier. Although she only played in 10 games, she totaled 13 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. In her debut against Southern Indiana University, Barrier recorded her first career 3-pointer, and a season high of five points against Ohio State.
Dacia Lewandowski, 5-11, Guard, Butler, PA, University of Akron
Before the start of the 2024-25 campaign, Lewandowski transferred from the University of Akron, where she redshirted her freshman season. From her coaching relationship with Jackson as a member of the Zips, she joined Youngstown State and averaged 0.7 ppg, 0.8 rpg and 0.4 assists per game over 17 games.
Ashlynn Van Tassell, 6-3, Forward, Cameron, WV, Cameron High School
Despite a season-ending injury for Van Tassell, she had a historic playing career at Cameron High School. She was a three-time state champion in West Virginia and the state’s co-player of the year. Over the years Youngstown State found success in players from WV with former players Gabby Lupardus and Shay-Lee Kirby, who earned honors from the Mountaineer state.
Incoming Players
Casey Santoro, 5-4, Guard, Bellevue, OH, Florida Gulf Coast University
Santoro spent two seasons at FGCU, where she recorded 36 3-pointers and 33 assists. During the 2023-24 season, her squad recorded 30 games and appeared in the NCAA Tournament. Prior to her stint with the Eagles, Santoro attended KSU where she recorded the first triple-double in program history.
Paulina Hernandez, 6-2, Forward, Oak Creek, WI, Cleveland State
Hernandez, who transferred from CSU over the offseason, was a mainstay for the program. Over two seasons, she played in 55 games, helping the Vikings record 56 wins and earn a Horizon League regular-season Championship. In total, she scored 86 points, secured 71 rebounds and blocked 30 shots.
Brooke Adkins, 6-0, Guard, Wayne, WV, Wayne High School
Regarded as a true freshman by Jackson, Adkins continues Youngstown State’s long list of successful players from West Virginia. As the three-time, first-team all-state selection at Wayne High School, she helped the team to a 22-4 overall record and a state championship. She finished her career as a Pioneer with over 1,300 points – the second highest total in school history.
Projected Starting Roster
Casey Santoro
Erica King
Danielle Cameron
Faith Burch
Sophia Gregory
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)
