Building around a core of three all-conference players, the University of Northern Colorado women’s basketball team continues to assemble its 2026-27 roster as the campus calendar nears commencement weekend.
For UNC and other NCAA Division I programs nationwide, it’s another reminder of the massive changes in college sports. An anticipated change for several months was made official Thursday afternoon. The men’s and women’s Division I basketball tournaments will expand to 76 teams from 64 teams starting next year.
The impact of the expansion on UNC and the Big Sky Conference is expected to be minimal, according to UNC senior administrator John Kietzmann and men’s and women’s head basketball coaches Steve Smiley and Kristen Mattio.
In the field of 64, the Big Sky was considered a one-bid league —meaning only its automatic qualifier made the NCAA Tournament. This is not expected to change with an additional eight teams in the field.The NCAA transfer portal closed in late April for both men’s and women’s Division I athletes, leaving Smiley and Mattio with a better idea on their rosters for next year.
Mattio has the luxury of welcoming three all-Big Sky players back to Greeley in the fall: forward Tatum West and guards Neenah George and Heather Baymon. West was a second-team selection, and George and Baymon were honorable mentions. Baymon joined UNC from the transfer portal before the 2025-26 season.
With this trio, Mattio and her staff looked for players who understood there only remained a few available slots. The players who picked UNC had to be in search of more than court time.
“We’re trying to find people who want to play for something bigger than ourselves,” Mattio said. “They want to play with the best.”
UNC won 23 games last winter, qualified for the Women’s National Invitation Tournament and won a game in the postseason for the first time in 11 years. The Bears lost in the second round to South Dakota.
UNC Bears women’s basketball meets South Dakota in 2nd round of WNIT
UNC also returns forward Erin Powell, who started all 34 games with George and West; and forward Lilah Moore, who is back for a fifth season following a redshirt season and injury.
UNC signed three high school players in November, and they’ve added three from the transfer portal since May 5. The players coming in from high schools are Averie Varhaug, a 6-foot-4 post player from Caledonia, Ontario, Canada; Da’Nae Jefferson, a 5-10 guard from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Lucy Mead, a 6-2 forward from Sydney, Australia.
The transfers are post player Alex Pirog from Highlands Ranch High School and the University of Montana; Ellie Magestro-Kennedy, a guard from Wright State in Dayton, Ohio; and forward Ericka Huggins from Delaware State in Dover, Delaware.
Four players left UNC through the portal: Olivia Loomis-Goltl, Claire Frasier, Louise Dykstra and Lele Tanuvasa.
Mattio said the recruiting of players from the portal happens faster than with high school athletes. This year, the women’s basketball portal was open from April 6-20. In that time, there are player visits, phone calls, video conference conversation and in-person introductions.
“It isn’t the talent and skills,” Mattio said of evaluating and looking for portal players. “It’s the character of the young lady to represent us, the athletic department and the university.”
Mattio said a lot of players enter the portal because they thought they knew what they wanted from a program and it didn’t materialize. Mattio said UNC wants to be as clear as they can about the situation with the Bears.
“We’re trying to understand and make sure they’re the right fit,” Mattio said.
