WESTERVILLE, Ohio – No. 8 Baldwin Wallace University women's basketball had five players named to the 2025-26 All-Ohio Athletic Conference team, and Head Coach Cheri Harrer was recognized as the 2025-26 Ohio Athletic Conference Coach of the year for the second consecutive season. Senior forward Alyssa Miller (New Philadelphia) also earned the Ohio Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year honor for the first time in her career.

Junior guard Laura McCoy (Newton Falls/Garrettsville Garfield) was named First Team All-OAC, and senior guard Leah Riley (Cincinnati/Sycamore) was named Second Team All-OAC. Senior forward Brooke Thompson (Maineville/Little Miami) and junior guard Ava Wilkerson (West Mansfield/Marysville) both received Honorable Mention All-OAC recognition.

Coach Harrer earns the Coach of the Year recognition for the eighth time in her thirty-six-year tenure at BW. The Yellow Jackets secured an undefeated conference record this season for the third time under Coach Harrer, also occurring in 1999-2000 and 2024-2025. She is the winningest basketball coach in OAC history with 740 wins. Her all-time record is 740-250 for a .747 winning percentage at BW. The 2026 Yellow Jackets went 23-2 and earned a perfect 16-0 record in OAC play. Since they went 18-0 in the conference last season, BW carries a 34-game winning streak in regular season OAC games dating back to February 17, 2024.

Miller earned the Defensive Player of the Year honor after starting every game for the Yellow Jackets and being the OAC leader with 42 total blocks. She was second on the team with 112 total rebounds, 72 of which were on the defensive end. The three-year starter for BW has 124 career blocks and 69 steals. She averaged 23.0 minutes per game this season to lead the team, and this was her highest average playing time per game in her career. Miller was named the Women's Yellow Jacket of the Week on December 3, 2025. Off the court, she is a College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honoree, an Academic All-OAC honoree, a management and marketing major, and a Jacket Scholar.

McCoy received the All-OAC first team recognition after being the Yellow Jackets' leading scorer with 253 points this season. She started all 25 regular season games and averaged 10.1 points per game. Her free throw percentage is tied for the team lead at 95.8% accuracy with 23 makes on 24 attempts. The only miss this season was her third attempt of the season, giving her a 20-point streak since December 2, 2025. This season, McCoy scored 100 field goals for a 45.0% field goal percentage and 30 three-pointers for a 31.9% three-point percentage. She has scored 477 points and 167 rebounds while totaling 1,115 minutes in her career.  McCoy was also named Women's Yellow Jacket of the Week on January 20.

Riley received Second Team All-OAC honors after being the second-highest scorer on the squad with 249 points. BW's sixth man averages 10.0 points per game and is the best distance shooter with a 39.2% three-point percentage. Riley also carries a 44.8% field goal percentage and is third on the team in steals with 20. This season, she earned OAC Women's Basketball Athlete of the Week honors two times, Women's Yellow Jacket of the Week once, and was named the Yellow Jacket Women's Athlete of the Month for December. She has 505 career points, 56 steals, 113 assists, 1,289 minutes logged, and has a career 38.8% field goal percentage and 32.8% three-point percentage. Off the court, Riley is an Academic All-OAC honoree, a pre-physical therapy major, a dean's list student, and a Jacket Scholar.

Thompson earned All-OAC honorable mention after having the best field goal percentage on the team of 59.0%. She also led the squad in rebounds with 177. Thompson was second on the team with 27 blocks and second with 82 field goals made. This season, she was named Women's Yellow Jacket of the Week three times, the Nan Nichols Tournament MVP, and All-Tournament Team for the BW Holiday Classic. In her career, she has 299 points, 290 rebounds, and 907 minutes played. Off the court, Thompson is an Academic All-OAC honoree, a pre-allied health major, a Dean's List student, and a Jacket Scholar.

Wilkerson was named All-OAC honorable mention due to her consistent shooting abilities this season. A starter for all 25 games, she has the third-most points on the team with 213. She ties the team lead for free throw percentage with McCoy at 95.8%. Wilkerson stands at 46 makes on 48 attempts. This season, she has a 39.6% field goal percentage, a 35.9% three-point percentage, and has the second-most minutes played at 562. Wilkerson's career numbers include 403 total points, 100 assists, 135 field goals, and 1,292 minutes. Her career shooting percentages include 39.2% from the field, 34.9% from deep, and 87.2% from the charity stripe.

Up Next

• Women's Basketball will host the No. 5 seeded Ohio Northern Polar Bears in the semifinal round of the 2026 Ohio Athletic Conference tournament as the No. 1 seed on Thursday, February 26 at 7:00 p.m. inside Ursprung Gymnasium in the Lou Higgins Center.