Chris Kielsmeier has no idea what the outside expectations concerning his 2025-26 Cleveland State team are likely to be. That’s not to say that he doesn’t know what they might be, he just isn’t sure which well-worn narrative will take hold before the ball is tipped in November. And there are several.
Such are the fickle nature of expectations, unscientific calculations that attempt to synthesize known pieces of information, like a team’s recent performance and lists of incoming and outgoing student-athletes, then produce a guide to the unknowable.
At least one of those inputs is strongly in the Vikings’ corner: they’ve been good recently. Very good, actually, including 86 wins over the last three years, a pair of Horizon League championships (one tournament, one regular season), and bids to three different postseason events, including a spirited run to the WNIT’s Fab Four in the spring. For that reason alone, most assume that Cleveland State will once again be much closer to the top of the standings than the bottom.
Another factor, departing players, is decidedly not in CSU’s favor, since the core of its roster imploded over a span of three cruel weeks in April. Losing talent to the transfer portal is a reality of modern college sports, though the degree of that bloodletting was exceptional in the Vikings’ case.
Arguably, the most crushing loss was Mickayla Perdue. The 2024-25 Horizon League Player of the Year initially announced that she was staying, then – likely helped along by some tampering and a rumored six-figure NIL offer – reversed course a couple days later and committed to Arizona.
Once Perdue was gone, program legend Destiny Leo quickly followed by transferring to UNLV, abandoning a nearly-finished chase for the Vikings’ career scoring record. All-Horizon League second team center Jordana Reisma, now at Missouri, was the first significant player to leave during the portal window. Sara Guerreiro, in many ways the heart and soul of CSU’s recent teams, didn’t transfer, but she did run out of eligibility.
While all of that will keep the Vikings from being the championship favorites that they were at the beginning of last season, Kielsmeier would prefer to leave that history behind, however recent it may still feel. After all, his first concern these days is getting his eleven newcomers to mesh with holdovers Colbi Maples, Macey Fegan, and Sarah Hurley, as they begin to play familiar roles in a system that has proven deceptively difficult to master, even for veterans.
How quickly and effectively that happens will go a long way towards determining the sort of season Cleveland State has.
“That zone takes a while to be figured out at the level that you want it to be, to really have a chance to really dictate teams with it,” Kielsmeier said. “And then on the offensive end, you got to figure out how to play and score with each other. You can put a lot of good individual scorers out there, but now you cram ’em into a system that they’re not used to, or the third one in three years, and playing with a whole bunch of new players.”
Additional complexity comes from the fact that both Maples and transfer addition Jada Leonard, a tandem that may very well be CSU’s starting backcourt at this point, missed most or all of last season with injuries. The final stages of their respective recoveries will add another layer to the customary preseason struggles.
Still, there’s little doubt that the roster, including its new and old pieces, has championship potential. Maples, of course, was the Horizon League’s Player of the Year in 2023-24. Izabella Zingaro began her collegiate career at Iowa State, despite Kielsmeier’s best efforts to land her five years ago. Ella Van Weelden can shoot the three extremely well, and offers rare length for the other side of the ball. Leonard was the leading scorer at Saint Peter’s twice. Shay Magassa is the sort of disruptive defender that can thrive in a matchup zone.
Those ifs remain pervasive during any attempt at projection, though. If Kielsmeier’s ability to scout for his very specific needs has delivered once again. If the new Vikings can instinctively move around the court by the time the conference schedule starts. If Maples and Leonard are as effective as they were two years ago. If Zingaro and Laurel Rockwood can offer the Vikings, arguably, the best post play in the HL. If players like Madison Royal-Davis, Queen Ruffin, and Paula Pique can provide the depth that proved a fatal flaw of last season’s squad.
Can Cleveland State clear those ifs? Can the Vikings, as Rudyard Kipling once wrote, fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds’ worth of distance run? That’s, again, unknowable at this point, but Kielsmeier is encouraged by his team’s progress.
“I like their togetherness and desire to try to figure it out,” he said. “Something that our staff constantly evaluates is how much they trust and believe in each other. How much they are trying to figure this thing out at the Cleveland State standard, the Cleveland State way, and those things are there.”
“Now, for us to be able to execute and do those things on a consistent day in and day out basis is not there, but the togetherness and the desire is, and has been consistent with this team. So I like where we’re at.”
Returning Players
Colbi Maples, 5-8, G, Earle, AR, Grambling
Indications are that Maples’ recovery from an ACL tear that wiped out nearly all of her 2024-25 season has gone well, and it’s expected that she’ll be ready to go for the start of the schedule. However, what, exactly, that means is anyone’s guess at this point. Cleveland State has had additional recent experience with star players and ACL tears, of course, in the form of Leo. The 2022-23 HL Player of the Year was largely effective in her return to action, though she shifted positions from guard to wing, and essentially became a three-point specialist and a secondary option offensively. The Vikings will probably need more than that from Maples; if she approaches her most recent full-season output of 16.6 points, 4.1 assists, and 1.8 steals per game, CSU should be right in the thick of the title chase.
Macey Fegan, 5-11, F, Bentley, MI, Toledo
One of the coaching staff’s biggest tasks ahead of the opener is finding the right spot on the floor for the smart and defensively-tough Fegan. Somewhat out of necessity (created in part by Maples’ injury), Fegan spent a lot of her first season in Cleveland starting at the two-guard spot, after beginning the year practicing at the three. She did as well as reasonably could be expected, including 3.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game, though ultimately, she’s probably better suited to the frontcourt. Sifting through CSU’s five or six players expected to occupy the two forward positions is difficult at this stage, but Fegan will probably either start or be among the first off the bench.
Sarah Hurley, 6-1, G, Pelham, ON, Lincoln Prep
Hurley earned a rare degree of trust early in her true freshman season, a pair of starting assignments, as the Vikings attempted to piece together a reshuffled backcourt. That didn’t stick, however, and the Canadian ultimately played just 146 total minutes, 102 against Division I competition. Still, Hurley is an archetype that can thrive at CSU: a long wing who shoots the three well. To that latter point, on December 21, 2024, she checked into a rout of UPR-Mayaguez at the Puerto Rico Clasico and promptly knocked down three triples in just 12 minutes.
Incoming Players
Izabella Zingaro, 6-4, C, Bolton, ON, Montana
The third time turned out to be the charm with Zingaro, a player Kielsmeier tried to recruit each time she was available, before losing out to Iowa State and Montana on the first two attempts. She’s an elite finisher around the rim – 57.6 percent at Montana last season – and, somewhat obviously, is seen as an ideal pivot for how the Vikings play.
“Izzi has been somebody that we identified a long time ago as being a player that has the skillset and the strengths to have a lot of success in our system,” Kielsmeier said. “The challenge for her and our staff is to get her up to speed with the things that we do from an execution standpoint on a daily basis.”
Jada Leonard, 5-8, G, Bronx, NY, Bryant
Like Maples, Leonard is a highly-skilled backcourt player who had to redshirt last season, with an undisclosed knee injury, and her ability to get re-acclimated to game action while simultaneously adjusting to fit Cleveland State’s style will be an ongoing storyline throughout the preseason. If that goes well, the Vikings will have another top-end talent on their hands. Before sitting out during her only season at Bryant, Leonard led Saint Peter’s in scoring for two straight years, including 12.1 points per game in 2023-24. Just as importantly, Kielsmeier loves Leonard’s defense, calling her a “long, athletic, lanky guard who can get her hands on the ball for tips and rips.”
Ella Van Weelden, 6-2, F, Cedar Rapids, IA, Northern Colorado
Most recent Cleveland State teams have had three deep threats on the floor at any given moment. That faded a bit last year, when the Vikings’ three-point attempts disproportionately ran through Leo and Perdue, after the shooting of players like the departed Grace Ellis (who connected on just 25.9 percent of her threes over two seasons at CSU) fell into an abyss. Van Weelden, who knocked down 37.4 percent of her tries from behind the arc for Northern Colorado last season, should help a return to form. “She’s so smart with the ball, she doesn’t turn it over,” Kielsmeier added. “She’s got really solid fundamentals.”
Laurel Rockwood, 6-4, C, Henderson, NV, UC Santa Barbara
Given that Zingaro has never played more than 15 minutes per game in her career, it seems likely that CSU will deploy a true post rotation for the first time since 2022-23, after Reisma dominated the position’s minutes for the last two years. That rotation might turn out to be a situational arrangement, given Rockwood’s slightly different skillset, which included 5.0 rebounds per game in 17.1 minutes last year.
“She’s finally in a system that plays with her back to the basket, a system that has confidence in her,” Kielsmeier said. “The two things that she does really well are defending the block and protecting the paint, and she’s got a much higher potential on the block with her back to the basket than she’s ever been able to show in the past.”
Shay Magassa, 6-1, F, Paris, France, La Salle
There’s a lot to like about Magassa, who exceled in her only season at La Salle in 2024-25, following two years of juco ball. She was, quite literally, all over the floor for the Explorers in a largely positionless system, and might end up as the Vikings’ third center, whenever CSU is in the unenviable position of needing one. Mostly, though, Magassa will play elsewhere on the front line, where she can use her disruptive defensive length (1.3 steals per game last year), ability to run the floor, and underrated scoring range out to about 15 feet.
“Her size, and her length, and her ability to get tips and rips, and her ability to attack the basket. That’s why we recruited her,” Kielsmeier explained. “She has put a lot into really figuring out how to play our way, she’s worked really hard. We’re certainly very high on her potential, and I just continue to try to help her grow every day, and coach her up quickly.”
Madison Royal-Davis, 5-11, F, Toledo, OH, Oakland
Along with Zingaro, part of the Iowa State team that defeated Cleveland State to open the 2022-23 season, former Oakland forward Royal-Davis is one of the two newcomers who competed against the Vikings previously. At OU, the Ohioan locked down a starting role last year, thanks largely to her efficient rebounding, as her 2.4 offensive boards per game, part of her 6.5 per game overall average, ranked among the top 200 players nationally.
Queen Ruffin, 5-6, G, Moreno Valley, CA, Indiana State
Described as a “dynamic, crafty guard” by Kielsmeier, Ruffin presents as someone who can ultimately grow into the versatile backup guard role played most prominently by Filippa Goula and Deja Williams in recent years. She was selected for her conference’s all-rookie team while a freshman at Division II Johnson C. Smith in 2023-24, then managed 16 minutes per game at ISU last season, while shooting 36.8 percent from three-point range.
Paula Pique, 6-1, G, Barcelona, Spain, Abilene Christian
After coming over from Spain, Pique introduced herself to the college game with a freshman season at Abilene Christian, helping the Wildcats to a 22-13 record and a place in the Super 16 round of the WNIT. Though her playing time was irregular, Pique was productive whenever she received extended looks, including six points and three rebounds in 24 minutes against Seattle.
Colby Guinta, 5-11, F, Manchester, NH, Suffolk
Following a long and successful career at the Division III level, Guinta will test her strong offensive upside – including 14.6 points per game with the Rams last season – in Division I. She’s an intriguing pickup, in part because she shot 39.6 percent from three-point range, behind the identical line on the floor used at all levels of the college game.
Hanna Medina Kajevic, 5-7, G, Norrkoping, Sweden, Hagagymnasiet
Sur Lozano, 6-1, G, Madrid, Spain, Colegio Luyferivas
In recent years, it’s been extremely rare for a true freshman to see significant minutes for the Vikings. Given the experience elsewhere on the roster, it’s hard to see that changing much with CSU’s two rookies this year, Kajevic and Lozano. Both, however, offer plenty of upside if pressed into service. Kajevic gained high-end experience while playing 15 minutes per game with the Norrkoping Dolphins in Sweden’s top league last year. Lozano has excelled with numerous squads (including in 3-on-3 tournaments) in her native Spain.
Projected Starting Roster
Colbi Maples
Jada Leonard
Ella Van Weelden
Macey Fegan
Izabella Zingaro
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)
