10/14/25
After an 18-11 season and taking 6th in the GNAC with a conference record of 9-9, the Saint Martin’s Saints women’s basketball team was selected third in the GNAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll released today. Saint Martin’s made a phenomenal run on their home floor in the GNAC Tournament last March. The Saints pulled off a pair of upsets to make the title game before falling to Alaska Anchorage.
Saint Martin’s received 72 points in the poll, behind Western Washington, which received 90 total points and five first-place votes, and Central Washington, which received 89 points and 4 first-place votes. Montana State Billings, picked fourth, was the other school to receive a first-place vote.
Saint Martin’s will have an exhibition on Friday against Olympic College at 6:30 PM before playing in the DII Canadian Tip-Off Classic from October 31-November 2. The Saints will have their regular-season home opener against Point Loma Nazarene on Saturday, November 22, at 4:00 PM.
Seven athletes on the Saints roster played high school basketball in Washington, featuring Bellarmine Prep’s Jada Travis. Travis took home GNAC Freshman of the Year honors last year as she led Saint Martin’s in scoring (14.0 PPG) and assists (4.2 APG), while averaging six rebounds a game, second on the team. Warden’s Kiana Rios led the team in rebounds with 6.1 per game and was second in scoring with 13.7 points per game. Both players were second-team all-conference last year. Kiana’s younger sister, Jlynn, will suit up for the Saints for her junior season.
The Saints return another starter with Washington ties, Auburn’s Madelyn Brown, whose sister Jaylah is also on the team after spending a year at Green River College, averaging nearly 13 points per game. Laiken Hill, a three-sport athlete at West Valley (Yakima) High School, enters her sophomore year after playing in 20 games in the 2024-25 season. Samara Oliver, from Lakes High School, begins her college career as a freshman this year.
Click here for the full GNAC Preseason Poll and more.
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