CUSA Tabs Lady Bears as Preseason Favorite; Bekemeier as Preseason Player of the Year
October 08, 2026 | Women's Basketball
DALLAS – Missouri State women's basketball was tabbed as the Conference USA preseason favorite and senior guard Kaemyn Bekemeier was named Preseason Player of the Year in today's release of the league's annual preseason coaches poll and all-conference team.
The Lady Bears also landed three players on the 10-person preseason all-conference team in Bekemeier, Lainie Douglas and Maiesha Washington.
As a team, Missouri State racked up eight of 10 first-place votes in the preseason poll to earn the number one spot with 90 points. The last time Mo State was picked as the preseason favorite was in 2021-22 as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. Middle Tennessee (84 pts) and Liberty (83 points) each received a first-place vote to round out the top three. Full poll results are listed below.
Mo State brings back 76 percent of its scoring and 80 percent of its rebounding from a season ago with its seven returners from last year's CUSA Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament squad. The Lady Bears went 23-13 last season and won their first-ever Conference USA Tournament championship in their first year in the league, and advanced to the program's 18th NCAA Tournament. It marked the 11th straight postseason appearance and ninth-straight 20-win season for Mo State.
Bekemeier, a first-team all-conference selection a year ago and the reigning Conference USA Tournament MVP, was selected as the league's Preseason Player of the Year. This marks Mo State's first preseason player of the year pick since Brice Calip in 2021-22.
Bekemeier is coming off an outstanding junior season in which she averaged 17.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game to lead her squad and rank second and fourth, respectively, in Conference USA. During the 2025-26 campaign, she pulled down the fourth-most rebounds (295) and scored the eighth-most points (627) in program history and ranked No. 2 in the nation in rebounds by a player 5-foot-9 or under. Likewise, she became the 32nd player in program history to score 1,000 career points and now sits at No. 24 on the Lady Bears all-time scoring list with 1,154. She collected four CUSA Player of the Week honors a season ago and was the only player in the league to score at least 600 points.
Douglas and Washington also earned preseason all-conference recognition following impressive seasons in their first year in CUSA.
As a junior last season, Douglas was an All-CUSA second-team selection and was named to the CUSA All-Tournament Team. She averaged 13.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game and ranked first in Conference USA in field goal percentage (.551) and blocks per game (1.5). Douglas recorded the fifth-most blocks in a single season in program history (55) and moved into seventh on the career blocks list with 85.
Washington is coming off a year in which she was named to the CUSA All-Freshman Team after averaging 7.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. She earned one CUSA Freshman of the Week honor last season and ranked 15th in CUSA in defensive rebounds per game (4.1) and 16th in both offensive (1.9) and total rebounds per game. Washington's 284 points as a freshman were the most by a Mo State freshman since the 2023-24 season and the second-most since 2018-19.
2026-27 CUSA WBB Preseason Poll (First-place votes)
1. Missouri State (8) 90 points
2. MSTU (1) 84 points
3. Liberty (1) 83 points
4. FIU 70 points
5. Sam Houston 60 points
6. Western Kentucky 42 points
7. Delaware 37 points
8. New Mexico State 31 points
9. Jacksonville State 29 points
10. Kennesaw State 24 points
2026-27 CUSA WBB Preseason All-Conference Team
Sophia Gregory, Liberty
Ify Nwaobi, Liberty
Emmy Stout, Liberty
Blair Baugus, MTSU
Mya Kone, MTSU
Kaemyn Bekemeier, Missouri State*
Lainie Douglas, Missouri State
Maiesha Washington, Missouri State
Deborah Ogayemi, Sam Houston
Trinity Rowe, Western Kentucky
*Preseason Player of the Year
The Lady Bears also landed three players on the 10-person preseason all-conference team in Bekemeier, Lainie Douglas and Maiesha Washington.
As a team, Missouri State racked up eight of 10 first-place votes in the preseason poll to earn the number one spot with 90 points. The last time Mo State was picked as the preseason favorite was in 2021-22 as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. Middle Tennessee (84 pts) and Liberty (83 points) each received a first-place vote to round out the top three. Full poll results are listed below.
Mo State brings back 76 percent of its scoring and 80 percent of its rebounding from a season ago with its seven returners from last year's CUSA Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament squad. The Lady Bears went 23-13 last season and won their first-ever Conference USA Tournament championship in their first year in the league, and advanced to the program's 18th NCAA Tournament. It marked the 11th straight postseason appearance and ninth-straight 20-win season for Mo State.
Bekemeier, a first-team all-conference selection a year ago and the reigning Conference USA Tournament MVP, was selected as the league's Preseason Player of the Year. This marks Mo State's first preseason player of the year pick since Brice Calip in 2021-22.
Bekemeier is coming off an outstanding junior season in which she averaged 17.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game to lead her squad and rank second and fourth, respectively, in Conference USA. During the 2025-26 campaign, she pulled down the fourth-most rebounds (295) and scored the eighth-most points (627) in program history and ranked No. 2 in the nation in rebounds by a player 5-foot-9 or under. Likewise, she became the 32nd player in program history to score 1,000 career points and now sits at No. 24 on the Lady Bears all-time scoring list with 1,154. She collected four CUSA Player of the Week honors a season ago and was the only player in the league to score at least 600 points.
Douglas and Washington also earned preseason all-conference recognition following impressive seasons in their first year in CUSA.
As a junior last season, Douglas was an All-CUSA second-team selection and was named to the CUSA All-Tournament Team. She averaged 13.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game and ranked first in Conference USA in field goal percentage (.551) and blocks per game (1.5). Douglas recorded the fifth-most blocks in a single season in program history (55) and moved into seventh on the career blocks list with 85.
Washington is coming off a year in which she was named to the CUSA All-Freshman Team after averaging 7.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. She earned one CUSA Freshman of the Week honor last season and ranked 15th in CUSA in defensive rebounds per game (4.1) and 16th in both offensive (1.9) and total rebounds per game. Washington's 284 points as a freshman were the most by a Mo State freshman since the 2023-24 season and the second-most since 2018-19.
2026-27 CUSA WBB Preseason Poll (First-place votes)
1. Missouri State (8) 90 points
2. MSTU (1) 84 points
3. Liberty (1) 83 points
4. FIU 70 points
5. Sam Houston 60 points
6. Western Kentucky 42 points
7. Delaware 37 points
8. New Mexico State 31 points
9. Jacksonville State 29 points
10. Kennesaw State 24 points
2026-27 CUSA WBB Preseason All-Conference Team
Sophia Gregory, Liberty
Ify Nwaobi, Liberty
Emmy Stout, Liberty
Blair Baugus, MTSU
Mya Kone, MTSU
Kaemyn Bekemeier, Missouri State*
Lainie Douglas, Missouri State
Maiesha Washington, Missouri State
Deborah Ogayemi, Sam Houston
Trinity Rowe, Western Kentucky
*Preseason Player of the Year
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