The Hillsdale College women's basketball team has a new leader for the 2023-24 season as it looks to build off one of its best campaigns in the last decade in the prior season.
Brianna Brennan takes over as the new head coach of the Chargers after two seasons as the lead assistant, looking to help Hillsdale make a return trip to the G-MAC Tournament after earning the seven-seed and playing in the event in 2022-23.
The G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll favors that outcome, as Hillsdale's fellow coaches picked the Chargers to finish eighth and snag the final bid into the conference tourney for the 2023-24 season. Defending 2022-23 national champion Ashland is picked to repeat as champions, with Kentucky Wesleyan slated to finish second and Trevecca Nazarene picked to finish third in their final G-MAC campaign before moving to the Gulf South in 2024-25.
While a middle-of-the-pack finish would be far from a disaster for the Chargers, Hillsdale is looking to prove it can do better than that this season. The Chargers return several talented players, including three-time All-G-MAC honoree and double-double machine Sydney Mills and junior sharpshooters Carly Callahan and Caitlin Splain, both of whom had breakout seasons in 2022-23.
The X-factor for Hillsdale is Air Force transfer Lauren McDonald, who played well off the bench in the back half of the season for the Chargers after transferring in mid-semester. Now fully integrated with the program, McDonald could be next in line for a breakout year. Other players who could be in line for bigger roles are seniors Dani Hohlbein and Ashley Konkle, junior Kendall McCormick and a large group of underclassmen, both second-year players and incoming freshmen, who could make an immediate impact.
Hillsdale opens the 2023-24 season on the road in Hammond, Indiana on Nov. 10 and 11, playing regional foes Purdue Northwest and Illinois-Springfield. The Chargers' home opener is Nov. 21 against Lake Superior State, and their G-MAC opener is Saturday, Dec. 2 against Ohio Dominican. You can find Hillsdale's full schedule here and buy tickets for 2023-24 home games here.
2023-24 Women's Basketball Coaches Preseason Poll
1. Ashland (13) - 183
2. Kentucky Wesleyan - 161
3. Trevecca Nazarene (1)- 152
4. Northwood- 136
T5. Malone- 125
T5. Thomas More- 125
7. Ursuline- 111
8. Hillsdale -102
9. Walsh- 95
10. Cedarville- 78
11. Findlay- 64
12. Tiffin- 59
T13. Lake Erie- 44
T13. Ohio Dominican - 44