Davenport embarks on the upcoming season in the third year under head coach Shonda Sanders. The team has a roster of 12 student-athletes who will be asked to guide the program in an upward trajectory. The Panthers were picked ninth in the 11-team Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Preseason Poll. The conference has a long history of excellence and sent three teams to the NCAA Division II Tournament last season. Ferris State also made a run to the national semifinals in St. Joseph, Missouri, while all three teams won their opening round game in regionals.
This year’s roster consists of seven returning players and five newcomers to the program. The returning core includes senior post player Lillee Gustafson, who was selected as a GLIAC Preseason Second Team honoree. Gustafson enters her final season having started in 84 straight games. She ranks fifth all-time at DU with 700 rebounds and has scored 863 points. She saw her point production dip from 14.1 as a sophomore to 10.8 last season and the team will need her back to the 2022-23 form in order to see results in the win column. Gustafson also ranks eighth in scoring average (10.3) and blocked shots (58) at Davenport. Jaci Walker is a three-year letter winner with 32 starts as a Panther. She has averaged 16.1 minutes per game in her career and scored 328 points. Kendal Swartout rounds out the senior class. She has played in 57 career games for a total of 384 minutes in the frontcourt. She hasn’t missed a free throw in her career (11-of-11) and has 80 points and 46 rebounds.
Ellie Toney has started in 43 games during her first two years at DU and is averaging 8.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. She has played an average of 25.1 minutes per game which ranks eighth at Davenport. She has connected on 52 triples in 154 attempts and scored a career-high of 22 points last Nov. 14 against Walsh. Isabel Lindo had a solid freshman season in 2023-24 and averaged 8.7 points per game for the Panthers. She connected on 33 three-pointers and averaged 29.1 minutes per game. Lindo also finished with 27 steals and 59 rebounds.
The team welcomes three transfers in Hannah Schroeder, Deyonce Thompson, and Kayla Covington. Schroeder is coming from Northwood University after two years with the Timberwolves. She played in 47 games and averaged 18 minutes per contest. She scored 141 points and shot 37.4 percent from the floor. Thompson returns home to the Grand Rapids area as a graduate of East Kentwood after two years at NCAA DI Delaware State. She averaged 7.3 points and 3.3 boards for the Hornets, while appearing in 32 games with 20 starts. She shot 68.8 percent at the free throw line. Covington is a redshirt freshman from Wayne State and sat out last season due to injury. The Arbor Prep graduate averaged 15 points and 12 rebounds during her senior season.
