SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University women's basketball team will enter the 2026-27 season ranked No. 25 in the NAIA Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll, released by the national office Wednesday.
 
It marks the first time in at least 20 years that the Cougars have appeared in the preseason national rankings, another milestone for a program coming off one of its most successful seasons in recent history.
 
The preseason recognition comes on the heels of an outstanding 2025-26 campaign under head coach John Williams. Spring Arbor finished with a 24-8 overall record, matching the program's highest single-season win total since 1998-99, and advanced to the Round of 16 of the NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship for the first time since the 1997-98 season.
 
The Cougars earned the opportunity to host the NAIA National Championship First and Second Rounds a season ago and punched their ticket to the national tournament final site with an 80-67 victory over Tennessee Southern. SAU's postseason run ultimately came to an end against No. 2-seeded Campbellsville.
 
Spring Arbor was also recently picked to finish fourth in the Crossroads League Preseason Coaches' Poll, following Saint Francis, Marian and Indiana Wesleyan.
 
The Cougars return a pair of preseason All-Crossroads League selections in Megan Zeitz and Ashley Weller.
 
Zeitz was named to the Preseason All-League First Team after earning First Team All-Crossroads League and All-Defensive Team honors last season. The Dansville, Michigan native led SAU in scoring, averaging 13.9 points per game, while also making significant contributions on the defensive end.
 
Weller, a Pleasant Lake, Michigan native, earned a spot on the Preseason All-League Second Team. A Second Team All-Crossroads League selection a year ago, Weller averaged 9.7 points per game and was another key contributor to the Cougars' success.
 
Spring Arbor is one of six Crossroads League programs in the preseason national poll, joining No. 1 ranked Marian, No. 9 Saint Francis, and No. 14 Indiana Wesleyan while Bethel and Huntington are receiving votes.
 
The Cougars open the 2026-27 campaign on Thursday, Oct. 22 at home against Cleary University. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.