Richmond Tabbed Preseason Favorites for Second-Straight Year; Four Spiders Earn Preseason All-Conference Honors

RICHMOND, Va. – The University of Richmond women's basketball program has been tabbed preseason favorites in the 2025–26 Atlantic 10 Conference preseason poll, the league office announced on Tuesday ahead of A-10 media day. It marks the second-straight year the Spiders enter the season as A-10 preseason favorites.

Richmond, coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and the program's first NCAA win, received 188 points and nine first-place votes. George Mason (185) was close behind in second with four first-place votes, while Davidson (167) collected the final first-place tally and was picked third. Rhode Island (137) and Dayton (123) rounded out the top five.

In addition to leading the preseason poll, four Spiders were recognized on the A-10's preseason teams.

Senior forward Maggie Doogan and senior guard Rachel Ullstrom were both named to the Preseason All-Conference First Team. Junior point guard Ally Sweeney earned Second Team honors, while graduate forward Tierra Simon, a transfer from Saint Louis, was selected to the Third Team.

Doogan returns as the reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year after averaging 17.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game last season. She ranked third in the league in scoring, second in field-goal percentage (55.5) and seventh in three-point percentage (40.6) while recording 12 games of 20 or more points, including a career-high 37 against George Mason. She capped her year with 30 points and 15 rebounds against Georgia Tech and 27 points against top-seeded UCLA in the NCAA Tournament.

Ullstrom earned Atlantic 10 First Team honors in 2025 after averaging 15.3 points per game on 53.8 percent shooting, including 42.3 percent from three. She became the 11th Spider to reach 1,000 career points and set a program record with 11 three-pointers in a 35-point outing against Oakland. A USA Basketball 3x3 standout, Ullstrom also helped the United States capture the 2025 Nations League Americas title in Chile.

Sweeney started all 34 games at point guard and ranked among the league leaders in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio. She tallied 117 assists to just 62 turnovers (1.9 ratio), added 7.9 points per game and connected on 44.3 percent of her threes, the second-best percentage in the A-10. She scored in double figures 11 times, highlighted by a career-high 19 points at Loyola Chicago.

Simon started 32 games last season at Saint Louis and averaged 8.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and one block per game. She posted seven double-doubles and ranked fifth in the A-10 in rebounding. She finished the year with 285 rebounds, 32 blocks and 37 steals.

The Spiders open the 2025–26 season Nov. 4 at home against Mount St. Mary's inside the Robins Center before visiting Texas, a team that reached the Final Four last season, on Nov. 7 in Austin. The non-conference slate features marquee matchups in the Cancun Challenge and the 4 Tha Culture Holiday Classic in Henrico, Va. The Spiders will face seven teams that made the NCAA Tournament in 2024-25 during the non-conference slate.

Season tickets will be on sale in early October. Any ticketing questions can be answered by calling the Richmond Athletics Ticket Office at 1-877-SPIDER-1.

PRESEASON POLL

Richmond (9) .......................................................... 188
George Mason (4) ................................................... 185
Davidson (1) ............................................................. 167
Rhode Island ........................................................... 137
Dayton ........................................................................ 123
Saint Joseph's ......................................................... 120
VCU ............................................................................. 110
Duquesne .................................................................... 95
Saint Louis .................................................................. 86
George Washington ............................................... 75
Fordham .................................................................... 63
La Salle ....................................................................... 56
Loyola Chicago ......................................................... 43
St. Bonaventure ....................................................... 22

Preseason All-Conference First Team
Charlise Dunn, Davidson
Kennedy Harris, George Mason
Zahirah Walton, George Mason
Maggie Doogan, Richmond
Rachel Ullstrom, Richmond
Mary-Anna Asare, VCU

Preseason All-Conference Second Team
Katie Donovan, Davidson
Hawa Komara, George Mason
Gabby Reynolds, George Washington
Brooklyn Gray, Rhode Island
Ally Sweeney, Richmond
Aleah Snead, Saint Joseph's

Preseason All-Conference Third Team
Candice Lienafa, Davidson
Nicole Stephens, Dayton
Joan Quinn, La Salle
Tierra Simon, Richmond
Gabby Casey, Saint Joseph's
Alexia Nelson, Saint Louis

Preseason All-Defensive Team
Charlise Dunn, Davidson
Hawa Komara, George Mason
Zahirah Walton, George Mason
Ines Debroise, Rhode Island
Aleah Snead, Saint Joseph's

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