Baton Rouge, LA --- Coming off a 27-9 season and a strong 8th-place finish at the 2025 NJCAA National Tournament, the Illinois Central College women's basketball team enters the 2025-26 campaign with experience, enthusiasm, and championship aspirations. With a veteran roster and a talented group of newcomers, the Cougars are aiming even higher.
 
"Winners," head coach Karrie Redeker said when asked to describe this season's roster, "these kids are winners, both on and off the floor. They know the amount of hard work and discipline it takes to succeed and are ready to go to battle."
 
Last year's squad used a high-powered offense and strong depth to earn an at-large bid to Nationals and win the regular season Mid-West Athletic Conference Championship, despite only having three returners on the roster. This year's team boasts one of the most experienced sophomore classes in Cougar history as four of the six returnees were starters as freshmen and all saw quality minutes, giving ICC much optimism for the season. The NJCAA pollsters are also on board with that notion, having voted the Cougars at #5 in the NJCAA DII national poll. 
 
LUCZKOWIAK & ENGEL TO LEAD THE CHARGE
The Cougars have lots of weapons, led by the returning 1-2 punch of Lily Luczkowiak and Addy Engel, who had breakout seasons as freshmen. Luczkowiak, a 5'10 forward (Illini Bluffs HS), can do it all on the court---socre inside on crafty layups, nail the three, or get steals to lead the break. She averaged 14.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game on her way to 3^rd Team NJCAA All-American, 1^st Team All-Region, 1^st Team All-Conference, and M-WAC Freshman of the Year honors.
 
Engel, a 5'9 guard from Morton High School, averaged 12.9 ppg and 4.1 rpg on her way to also being a 1^st Team All-Region and All-MWAC selection. Engel, a fierce competitor with a high motor and polished skill set, attacks the basket with ferocity and finishes well through contact. She shot an efficient 55.1% from the field while punishing opposing defenses who tried to stop her by getting to the free throw line a team-high 171 times (119 makes at 70%).
 
EXPERIENCED RUNNING MATES
The talent in the sophomore class isn't just found in Luczkowiak and Engel, impressive as they may be. Kam Heider, a 5'7 combo guard (Richwoods HS), returns as a key backcourt presence thanks to her sharp shooting and reliability. As a frosh she averaged 8.8 ppg and 2.1 apg while knocking down a team-leading 63 treys at a 37%---and provided instant offense and spacing that complemented the inside game. Kaitlin White, a 5'8 guard from Fieldcrest HS, started 28 games and was one of the team's most dynamic two-way players, knocking down 37 threes and averaging 8.2 ppg while embracing the role of a ball-hawking defender, which often sparked the transition game with steals and deflections.
 
At 6'1, center Larissa Taylor (Highland HS) will be a cornerstone in the Cougars' frontcourt, providing a dependable rim protector, smart passer, and low post presence. She started 34 games, averaging 5.2 ppg on 50% field goal shooting while pulling down 4.9 rpg. Emily Dana (Peoria Heights HS) rounds out the returnees, having seen action in 24 games (despite battling injuries) by providing a spark with the all-important hustle plays like diving for a loose ball, getting a rebound, or nailing an open three-pointer.
 
NEWCOMERS LOOKING TO MAKE AN IMPACT
Five newcomers dot the roster led by sophomore Maziah Shelton, who transferred from North Central Michigan where she averaged 20.1 points and 9.9 rebounds per game and earned second-team all-conference honors at NCMC. A'Meah Lester (Normal Community HS) is a playmaking point guard who can push the pace, find open teammates, and finish at the rim herself. Ellie VanMeenen (Morton HS) is a  hard-working 5'8 guard who brings a high-energy presence to the court along with solid three-point shooting. Hannah West (Limestone HS) is another sniper who scored 1,681 career points and displays a consistent work ethic on both ends of the court. Rounding out the class is Piper Whiteman (Lincoln HS), a versatile and high IQ player who plays both inside and out and comes with a winning pedigree, having won a Class 3A state championship her junior season.
 
LOOKING AHEAD AT THE SCHEDULE
Per usual, the Cougars' schedule is one of the toughest in the nation. They start on October 31 at a DI tourney in Baton Rouge and then will host national power & rival #3 ranked Kirkwood on November 8. A new tourney for the program will be participating in the Thumbcoast Tip-Off Tourney in Port Huron, MI where seven of the eight participating teams are in the Top 25 rankings. The opening game is against #8 Harcum and then a possible second round match-up with last year's national runner-up and #2 Pima (AZ). And all of that happens in November.
 
ICC will host their annual Cougar Holiday Tournament in late December which typically has several ranked DII teams participating. Then it will be time to turn the calendar to 2026 and Region 24 play. Region 24 is one of the toughest in the nation as it will most likely feature games against more Top 25 teams for home and away contests. There can be no victory without battle, so the Cougars will use their competitive schedule and toughness to be the reason they are the ones cutting the nets down after a Region 24 Tourney Championship in early March.
 
A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE
Under the leadership of Hall of Fame Coaches Redeker and associate head coach Stan Prosser (now entering their 13th seasons together in East Peoria), Illinois Central has continued as a perennial NJCAA powerhouse program for 56 years. The Cougars have qualified for the National Tournament in 6 of the last 10 seasons, a testament to both recruiting and player development---and will blend that with their staples of discipline, toughness, preparation, and unselfish play. This year's squad checks off all of those boxes so it will be a matter of displaying those qualities while evolving over the course of the season.
 
"We love that the sophomores chose "All In" for our team theme," Redeker said. "We'll need each player to bring her best effort, attitude, and best version of herself each day in order to reach our team's potential. If we can get all eleven players to firmly believe in each other and the strength of this team, the sky is the limit for this group."
 
HOW TO FOLLOW THE TEAM

• All games will be livestreamed; go to the ICC Athletics' website, click on the WBB schedule page, and click on "WATCH."
• Alex Staab will provide audio-only coverage for a handful of games. If coverage is provided, the WBB schedule page will say "LISTEN."
• Social media:
  • Facebook: ICC Women's Basketball
  • Instagram: icc.cougarswbb
  • Twitter: @ICC_CougarsWBB
  • Email assistant coach Dennie Hieronymus to be added to the team's newsletter: icc.whoops@gmail.com