The Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC, pronounced O-A-C) has sponsored a women's basketball tournament since 1985. Nine different programs have won the tournament, and the current tournament champion receives the OAC's automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament.
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One OAC team was crowned women's basketball champion for the first time in program history during the 2025-26 season. Will the Cardinals continue their reign, or will they have to pass the crown to an OAC opponent?
Here's what you should know about the Ohio conference ahead of the 2026-27 women's hoops season.
What Teams Play Women’s Basketball In The OAC?
The OAC has nine teams competing for the conference tournament title. Capital leads the conference with 10 tournament championships, while Baldwin Wallace has won nine titles and finished as the runner-up nine times. Otterbein, the 2025-26 OAC Tournament champion, won its first title last season after reaching the championship game twice previously.
What Happened During The 2025-26 OAC Women’s Basketball Season?
Otterbein won the OAC Women’s Basketball Tournament title for the first time in program history, beating Baldwin Wallace 51-45. The Cardinals finished second in the OAC during the regular season with a 23-6 overall record and a 14-2 mark in conference play.
- Baldwin Wallace (16-0, 25-4)
- Otterbein (14-2, 23-6)
- Mount Union (9-7, 18-9)
- Capital (9-7, 16-9)
- Ohio Northern (8-8, 9-16)
- Marietta (7-9, 12-14)
- Muskingum (6-10, 13-12)
- Wilmington (3-13, 5-19)
- Heidelberg (0-16, 1-23)
Coach of the Year: Cheri Harrer, Baldwin Wallace
Helen Ludwig Player of the Year: Samaree Perkins, Capital
Defensive Player of the Year: Alyssa Miller, Baldwin Wallace
Freshman of the Year: Cameron Sparks, Otterbein
First-Team All-OAC
- Samaree Perkins (Sr., F), Capital
- Emerson Gray (So., G), Ohio Northern
- Mattie Walburn (So., F), Otterbein
- Elizabeth Mason (Jr., F), Mount Union
- Kelsey Harlan (So., G), Marietta
- Laura McCoy (Jr., G), Baldwin Wallace
Second-Team All-OAC
- Leah Riley (Sr., G), Baldwin Wallace
- Stephanie Altstaetter (Sr., C), Wilmington
- Mckinzi Linscott (Jr., F), Muskingum
- Kiara Hudgins (So., G), Otterbein
- Cameron Sparks (Fr., C), Otterbein
- McKayla Dunkle (Sr., F), Mount Union
What Does The 2026-27 OAC Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Preseason Poll Look Like?
Following a strong 2025-26 campaign, Otterbein has been picked by the league coaches to win the Ohio Athletic Conference women’s basketball title in 2026-27.
Otterbein received five first-place votes and 61 points. Baldwin Wallace was just behind the Cardinals with 60 points and the remaining four first-place votes. Mount Union rounded out the top three with 46 points.
- Otterbein - 61 (5)
- Baldwin Wallace - 60 (4)
- Mount Union - 46
- Ohio Northern - 43
- Marietta - 36
- Capital - 27
- Muskingum - 24
- Wilmington - 19
- Heidelberg - 8
Who Should I Watch During The 2026-27 OAC Women’s Basketball Season?
Otterbein returns 13 players, three of whom earned OAC honors during the 2025-26 season. Cameron Sparks, the 2025-26 OAC Freshman of the Year, averaged 9.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in her debut season. She scored in double figures in 12 games and posted seven double-doubles. Junior guard Kiara Hudgins returns after averaging 8.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game with 98 assists and 49 steals. Mattie Walburn (Jr., F) returns as a 2025-26 First-Team All-OAC honoree after leading the team with 12.3 points per game and scoring in double figures in 21 games.
Baldwin Wallace returns three starters who made significant contributions last season. CSC Academic All-District selection Kayla Jones (Sr., G/F) returns after leading the team with 65 assists and 43 steals in 2025-26. First-Team All-OAC guard Laura McCoy (Sr., G) also returns after leading Baldwin Wallace with 286 points and averaging 9.9 points per game. Senior Academic All-OAC guard Ava Wilkerson rounds out the group. In 2025-26, she averaged 22.8 minutes per game, the most among the team's returning players, and made 47 of 51 free-throw attempts.
When Is The 2027 OAC Women’s Basketball Tournament?
The 2027 OAC Women’s Basketball Tournament will take place Feb. 23, 25 and 27, 2027. All rounds will be hosted by the higher-seeded team.
The No. 6 seed will visit the No. 3 seed in one first-round matchup, while the No. 5 seed will visit the No. 4 seed in the other. The top two seeds receive first-round byes. The semifinals will be played Feb. 25, followed by the championship game on Saturday, Feb. 27.
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