Women's Basketball | 10/27/2026 3:20:00 PM
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Davenport University women's basketball team is set to tip off its 2026-27 season with an exhibition against Aquinas on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 6:30 p.m. inside the Student Center. The Panthers will play a second exhibition against Kalamazoo College on Nov. 7.
Head coach Shonda Sanders enters her fifth season leading the Panthers and is joined on the sidelines by assistant coaches Dominique McBride and Jordyn Roberts. Davenport returns nine players from last year's squad and welcomes six newcomers for the upcoming season.
Schedule Breakdown
The Panthers' schedule features 17 home games and 20 GLIAC contests. Most of Davenport's home games will take place from November through January, while the Panthers will spend much of February on the road. Davenport will host games on Feb. 4 and Feb. 6 before returning to the Student Center for Senior Day on Feb. 25.
In addition to their exhibitions against Aquinas and Kalamazoo, the Panthers' nonconference schedule includes Olivet, Lewis, Tiffin, Great Lakes Christian College, UIndy, Cedarville and Eastern Michigan.
Top Returners
Maddie Geers returns after starting all 28 games in her first season with the Panthers. She averaged 11.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 43.9 percent from the field. Geers finished the season with 318 points, 165 rebounds, 39 assists, 25 blocks and 23 steals. She scored a season-high 22 points against Parkside on Feb. 12 and grabbed a season-best 12 rebounds at Purdue Northwest on Feb. 7. Geers was also named to the CSC Academic All-District Team.
Reese Polega appeared in 26 games and made seven starts in her first season at Davenport, averaging 4.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. She totaled 121 points, 107 rebounds, 34 steals and 28 blocks. Polega scored a season-high 13 points at McKendree on Dec. 13 and pulled down a season-best nine rebounds against Roosevelt on Feb. 14. She also earned CSC Academic All-District honors.
Deyonce Thompson looks to return to the court after an injury limited her to one game during the 2025-26 season. In 2024-25, she averaged 10.0 points and 4.9 rebounds across eight games, making three starts. Thompson scored in double figures in five straight games that season, including a season-high 17 points against Michigan Tech on Jan. 4.
New Faces
Davenport's six newcomers include two transfers and four freshmen. Sylver Bowles joins the Panthers from St. Clair County Community College, while Leigha Brown arrives from Parkland College.
The freshman class features Paige Ringwelski, Brooke Shockey, Mya Viegelahn and Aubree Allen. Ringwelski graduated from Powers Catholic and earned honorable mention all-state recognition, while Shockey comes to Davenport from Orchard Lake St. Mary's. Viegelahn, a Grass Lake graduate, earned Athlete of the Year honors.
Allen joins the Panthers from Parma Western, where she set school records for career rebounds (860), career blocks (131) and blocks in a single season (55).
GLIAC Preseason Poll
The Panthers were picked to finish eighth in the 2026-27 GLIAC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll, receiving 31 points. Grand Valley State topped the poll with 100 points and 10 first-place votes, while Northern Michigan followed in second with 84 points. Parkside rounded out the top three with 76 points and the remaining first-place vote.
| Rank |
Team |
Points |
| 1 |
Grand Valley State |
100 (10) |
| 2 |
Northern Michigan |
84 |
| 3 |
Parkside |
76 (1) |
| 4 |
Ferris State |
75 |
| 5 |
Wayne State |
68 |
| 6 |
Roosevelt |
53 |
| 7 |
Michigan Tech |
49 |
| 8 |
Davenport |
31 |
| 9 |
Lake Superior State |
29 |
| 10 |
Saginaw Valley State |
24 |
| 11 |
Purdue Northwest |
16 |
First-place votes are listed in parentheses.
