WBB Notes: No. 10 Hawkeyes Open 2026-27 Season Against Towson

FOLLOW LIVE

Radio: Games air on the Hawkeye Radio Network with Rob Brooks (play-by-play) and Kathryn Reynolds (color) on the call. The network includes more than 40 stations across Iowa and portions of neighboring states. A 30-minute pregame show precedes each broadcast.

Streaming: Monday's season opener against Towson will stream on B1G+ (subscription required), with Luke Jorden and Karch Smith on the call.

KRUI Sports: Dom D'Angelo and Logan Melia will also call the action.

PROGRAM QUICK HITS

- Iowa became the first program in Big Ten history to compete in back-to-back NCAA national championship games in 2023 and 2024.
- The Hawkeyes won a school-record 34 games in 2023-24, advancing to their second consecutive national championship game and third Final Four in program history.
- Iowa has made 32 NCAA Tournament appearances, including eight consecutive berths, reaching 10 Sweet 16s, six Elite Eights, three Final Fours and two national championship games.
- The Hawkeyes have captured 16 Big Ten titles, including six conference tournament championships. Four tournament crowns have come since 2019 (2019, 2022, 2023, 2024).
- Iowa has recorded 10 consecutive 20-win seasons, tying the longest streak in program history, previously set under C. Vivian Stringer (1984-94).
- The Hawkeyes finished 27-7 overall and 15-3 in Big Ten play in 2025-26, advancing to the conference tournament championship game and earning a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
- Jan Jensen owns a 50-18 overall record and a 25-11 Big Ten mark through two seasons. She became the fastest head coach in program history to reach 50 career victories.
- Jensen is the first Iowa women's basketball head coach to record 20 or more victories in each of her first two seasons.
- Iowa has sold out its season ticket allotment for the fourth consecutive season entering 2026-27.
- The Hawkeyes are 142-22 in Iowa City dating back to Nov. 11, 2016.
- Iowa has produced at least one first-team All-Big Ten selection in 10 consecutive seasons dating back to 2017, most recently Ava Heiden in 2026.
- Six Hawkeyes have been selected in the WNBA Draft since 2019: Megan Gustafson, Kathleen Doyle, Monika Czinano, Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin and Lucy Olsen.
- Iowa returns five players and welcomes six newcomers in 2026-27, including four transfers and two first-year players.

OPENING TIP

- No. 10 Iowa opens its 2026-27 regular season Monday, Nov. 2, against Towson at 7 p.m. (CT) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will stream on B1G+.
- The Hawkeyes enter their third season under head coach Jan Jensen following a 27-7 campaign that included a 15-3 mark in Big Ten play and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
- Iowa defeated Maryville, 124-67, in exhibition action on Oct. 29. All five Hawkeye starters scored in double figures, led by Dani Carnegie with 30 points.
- Towson finished 17-14 overall and 10-8 in Coastal Athletic Association play last season. The Tigers were picked fifth in the league's preseason coaches' poll.
- Monday marks the second all-time meeting between the programs and the first since 2019.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS

- Towson enters its fifth season under head coach Laura Harper after finishing 17-14 overall and 10-8 in CAA play in 2025-26.
- The Tigers were picked to finish fifth in the CAA preseason coaches' poll.
- Senior guards Zoli Khalil and Thalia Shepard return after averaging 9.4 and 9.3 points per game, respectively, last season.
- Towson added FDU transfer Ava Renninger, a first-team All-NEC selection and 2026 NEC Tournament MVP. Renninger averaged 12.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists last season.
- Renninger was named preseason All-CAA honorable mention.
- The Tigers fell to Hofstra, 72-71, in the second round of the 2026 CAA Tournament.

SERIES HISTORY

- Iowa leads the all-time series against Towson, 1-0.
- The Hawkeyes defeated the Tigers, 100-72, on Nov. 28, 2019, at the Puerto Rico Clasico in Puerto Rico.
- Makenzie Meyer led Iowa with 29 points, connecting on five 3-pointers.
- Towson assistant coach Zion Sanders played four seasons at Iowa and appeared in the 2019 meeting against the Tigers.

FAMILIAR FACES

- Towson newcomers Ava Renninger and Akeelah Lafleur faced Iowa as members of FDU in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
- Renninger recorded 13 points, five rebounds and three assists in 40 minutes against the Hawkeyes on March 21. Iowa defeated FDU, 58-48, for Jensen's 50th career victory.

OPENING ACT

- Iowa has won 26 consecutive regular-season openers entering the 2026-27 campaign.
- The Hawkeyes are 10-0 in their last 10 season openers, including a 2-0 mark under head coach Jan Jensen.
- Iowa defeated Northern Illinois, 91-73, in Jensen's head coaching debut in 2024 before opening the 2025-26 season with an 86-51 victory over Southern.
- Iowa will open its regular season at home for the 16th consecutive season, dating back to the 2011-12 campaign.

STARTING FIVE, STARTING STRONG

- All five Iowa starters scored in double figures in the Hawkeyes' 124-67 exhibition victory over Maryville on Oct. 29.
- Carnegie poured in a game-high 30 points on 11-of-14 shooting, including four 3-pointers. She added five assists without committing a turnover.
- Ava Heiden finished with 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting, while first-year McKenna Woliczko recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
- Chazadi 'Chit-Chat' Wright added 13 points and a game-high seven assists, while Amari Whiting contributed 10 points and four assists.
- Six Hawkeyes reached double figures, including Jocelyn Faison with 14 points.

EXHIBITION REWIND

- No. 10 Iowa defeated Maryville, 124-67, in exhibition action on Oct. 29 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
- The Hawkeyes shot 63.8 percent (44-of-69) from the field and held the Saints to 31.9 percent shooting.
- Iowa outscored Maryville, 70-35, in the second half, including a 43-19 third-quarter advantage. The Hawkeyes shot 85 percent (17-of-20) in the third period.
- Iowa recorded 23 assists on 44 made field goals and committed just 10 turnovers.
- The Hawkeyes held a 58-14 advantage in points in the paint and outrebounded Maryville, 52-28.
- Ten Hawkeyes scored, including Faison with 14 points and eight rebounds. Journey Houston added eight points and a game-high-tying 10 rebounds.
- Iowa finished with 38 bench points and scored 23 points off 16 Maryville turnovers.

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

- Iowa has four players named to Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame positional award preseason watch lists for the 2026-27 season.
- Wright was named to the Nancy Lieberman Award watch list, recognizing the nation's top point guard.
- Carnegie earned a spot on the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award watch list, recognizing the nation's top shooting guard.
- Woliczko was selected to the Katrina McClain Award watch list, recognizing the nation's top power forward.
- Heiden was named to the Lisa Leslie Award watch list, recognizing the nation's top center.
- Heiden and Carnegie were also named to the 50-player Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Women's College Player of the Year preseason watch list.
- Iowa has produced two previous Naismith Trophy winners. Megan Gustafson earned the award in 2019, while Caitlin Clark won in 2023 and 2024.

SETTING THE STAGE

- Iowa enters the 2026-27 season following a 27-7 campaign, including a 15-3 mark in Big Ten play.
- The Hawkeyes have made 32 NCAA Tournament appearances in program history, including eight consecutive trips to the Big Dance.
- Iowa has recorded 10 consecutive 20-win seasons, tying the longest streak in program history.
- Jensen enters her third season as head coach and 27th with the program. She owns a 50-18 record and became the fastest head coach in school history to reach 50 career wins.
- The Hawkeyes earned a No. 2 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Big Ten Tournament championship game.
- Iowa recorded seven AP Top 25 regular-season victories in 2025-26, tying a program record. Five came against AP Top 15 opponents, also matching a school record.
- The Hawkeyes return five players and welcome six newcomers, including four transfers and two first-year players.

TOP-10 TERRITORY

- Iowa opens the 2026-27 season ranked No. 10 in both the Associated Press and WBCA Coaches preseason polls.
- The No. 10 AP ranking is Iowa's highest preseason ranking since the 2023-24 campaign.
- The Hawkeyes are one of nine Big Ten programs ranked in the AP preseason Top 25.

THE RETURNING FIVE

- Heiden, Wright, Taylor Stremlow, Journey Houston and Layla Hays return for the Hawkeyes in 2026-27.
- Heiden averaged 18.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season while shooting 64.1 percent from the field.
- Heiden totaled 612 points and 246 rebounds in 2025-26, ranking third and seventh, respectively, on Iowa's second-year single-season lists.
- Wright averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game in her first season at Iowa.
- Wright connected on 70 3-pointers at a 44.0 percent clip last season. Her 138 assists rank seventh on Iowa's second-year single-season list.
- Wright, Heiden and Stremlow were voted team captains for the 2026-27 season.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

- Iowa welcomes four transfers: Dani Carnegie (Georgia), Jocelyn Faison (Georgia), Amari Whiting (Oklahoma State) and Bria Medina (Knox College).
- Carnegie was the No. 6 overall transfer portal prospect and earned unanimous first-team All-SEC recognition at Georgia in 2025-26.
- Carnegie averaged 17.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game last season. She connected on 84 3-pointers and started all 32 games for the Bulldogs.
- Whiting started all 34 games at Oklahoma State last season, averaging 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest.
- Medina averaged 23.6 points per game at Knox College, ranking second nationally in Division III. She was named Midwest Conference Player of the Year and earned first-team all-region recognition.
- Faison appeared in 25 contests at Georgia.
- Ella Strömdahl joins the Hawkeyes from Uppsala, Sweden, becoming the first Swedish player in program history.

STAR POWER FROM SAN BRUNO

- McKenna Woliczko was rated the No. 6 overall prospect nationally by ESPN and is the second-highest-rated recruit in Iowa program history.
- Woliczko was selected to the 2026 McDonald's All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit.
- The San Bruno, California, native averaged 21.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game during her high school career at Archbishop Mitty.
- Woliczko owns two USA Basketball gold medals from the 2023 FIBA Americas U16 Championship and 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup.

FOUR OUT, ALL IN

- Iowa is transitioning to a four-out, one-in motion offense after utilizing a double-post, high-low system for much of the 2025-26 campaign.
- Jensen said the offensive adjustment is designed to create additional driving lanes for guards and make it more difficult for opponents to double-team Heiden.
- Houston is transitioning from a post-oriented role to a perimeter position, adding versatility to Iowa's backcourt.
- Heiden led all Power Four players in scoring improvement last season, increasing her average by 13.0 points per game.
- Heiden scored in double figures against all 17 Big Ten opponents in 2025-26 and recorded nine double-doubles.

BIG TEN, BIG HONORS

- Heiden earned first-team All-Big Ten recognition from both the coaches and media in 2025-26.
- Wright garnered third-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and honorable mention recognition from the media.
- Heiden received honorable mention All-America recognition from the Associated Press, USBWA and WBCA.
- Jensen was named a 2026 Naismith Coach of the Year semifinalist and a WBCA Division I Coach of the Year finalist.

CIRCLE THE DATES

- Iowa opens the regular season against Towson on Nov. 2 and hosts Eastern Illinois on Nov. 5 before traveling to UConn on Nov. 8.
- The Hawkeyes will face Vanderbilt on Nov. 15 in Sioux City, Iowa, before traveling to Nassau, Bahamas, for matchups against Utah (Nov. 23) and Navy (Nov. 25).
- Iowa's 18-game Big Ten slate features nine home and nine road contests, with Nebraska serving as the Hawkeyes' lone home-and-home opponent.
- Iowa is scheduled for 18 nationally distributed games across FOX, FS1, BTN and Peacock, including 14 linear television appearances.
- The 2027 Big Ten Tournament will take place March 3-7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

PACKED HOUSE, AS USUAL

- Iowa has sold out its season ticket allotment for the fourth consecutive season.
- The Hawkeyes have played in front of sellout crowds at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since February 2023.
- Iowa welcomed 224,970 fans across 15 regular-season home games in 2025-26.
- Corda Credit Union was named the presenting sponsor of Iowa women's basketball in October as part of a multiyear partnership.

SHARING THE ROCK

- Iowa ranked third nationally and second in the Big Ten in assists per game last season, averaging 20.7.
- The Hawkeyes ranked ninth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.37) in 2025-26.
- Wright and Stremlow averaged 4.5 and 4.3 assists per game, respectively, last season.
- Iowa has averaged at least 20 assists per game in seven of the last nine seasons.

POLL POSITION

- Iowa finished the 2025-26 season ranked No. 16 in the final Associated Press Top 25.
- The Hawkeyes reached as high as No. 7 in the AP Poll last season.
- Iowa has appeared in 21 consecutive AP Top 25 polls entering the 2026-27 season.
- Iowa defeated three AP Top 25 opponents in three consecutive regular-season games for the first time in program history from Jan. 18-25, 2026.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

- Woliczko recorded a women's event-record 13 rebounds at the 2026 Nike Hoop Summit, adding 10 points and six assists.
- Carnegie and Wright were teammates at Georgia Tech in 2024-25, where both played under current Iowa assistant coach LaSondra Barrett.
- Sydney Affolter was named special assistant to the head coach on Oct. 15 after serving as a graduate assistant during the 2025-26 season.
- Iowa has won its last five exhibition contests, including victories over Missouri Western, 110-55, in 2024, Ashland, 104-63, in 2025 and Maryville, 124-67, in 2026 under Jan Jensen. The Hawkeyes have scored at least 100 points in each of their last four exhibitions.

FROM CARVER TO THE W

- Iowa has produced six WNBA Draft selections since 2019: Megan Gustafson, Kathleen Doyle, Monika Czinano, Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin and Lucy Olsen.
- Olsen was selected by the Washington Mystics in the second round of the 2025 WNBA Draft, becoming Jensen's first WNBA Draft pick as head coach.