As the 2025-26 women’s college basketball season kicks off next week, ESPN listed on Wednesday who it believes will be the nation’s top 25 players this season. A notable Iowa women’s basketball star is surprisingly absent from the ranking.
That noteworthy Hawkeye is senior forward Hannah Stuelke, who is the anchor of Iowa’s offensive flow and the most dependable asset on the glass.
The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native is Iowa’s top returning scorer and rebounder. She averaged 12.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in 32 games played and started during the 2024-25 campaign.
Entering her final year with the program, Stuelke has already been named a preseason All-Big Ten first-team honoree and is expected to be a crucial part of the team’s ability to transition leadership qualities to the younger class of Hawkeyes.
As for the list itself, ESPN named four players from the Big Ten: UCLA center Lauren Betts (No. 2), UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens (No. 14), UCLA guard Kiki Rice (No. 17) and Maryland guard Yarden Garzon (No. 20).
Stuelke not making ESPN’s top 25 will no doubt add another chip on the shoulder of the hard-working senior as she tries to prove the “analysts” wrong through her on-court performance this season.
Iowa has an exhibition game on Oct. 30 against Ashland (6:30 p.m. CT) and opens the regular season on Nov. 3 against the Southern Jaguars (6:30 p.m. CT). Both games will take place at Carver-Hawkeye Arena and will stream on Big Ten Plus (subscription required).
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