ARLINGTON, Texas – The UT Arlington women's basketball team opened practice on Wednesday, Oct. 1, at the College Park Center marking the official start of college basketball's new season. 
 
"It was really good to open it up to the community and campus, our players, our staff have been waiting for this day," said head coach Shereka Wright. "So it's been really good for us to say it's officially here."
 
The Lady Mavericks are coming off a pretty historic season, making their first ever appearance in Western Athletic Conference tournament championship game along with their best regular season finish, entering the tournament as the third overall seed. The Lady Mavs also competed in the WNIT for the first time since 2019 and the fifth overall time in program history, making history by picking up their second ever postseason victory when they defeated Incarnate Word before eventually falling to North Texas. The Lady Mavs played their best when in front of the home crowd, posting a 12-1 record which is a .923 winning percentage, the best ever inside the College Park Center.
 
"Today was a lot of really good energy, I felt like our players were able to buy into the things we needed them to," said coach Wright. "We were able to move from spot to spot, being on the main floor we really got a chance to work on getting used to the floor and the surroundings of it. It was good to be able to have fans in the stands so we can see how that feels."
 
With a solid mix of old and new with six returners and seven newcomers, UTA looks poised to expand on last season's success during the 2025-26 season.
 
Of the six returners, Kendal Robinson returns as the lone All-WAC performer after being named to the All-WAC Freshman Team last season. Senior point guard Nya Threatt enters the year as one of the most experienced guards not just on UTA, but within the entire WAC with the floor general appearing in 87 games with 59 starts under her belt. Seniors Kali Haizlip and Alexsyah Goudeau have over 130 appearances between the two, Haizlip with 59 appearances and Goudeau with 77. Junior Miraya Perkins provides valuable experience, with 59 appearances under her belt and boasts a career shooting percentage of 45.2 percent. Laura Bello returns from injury for the new season.
 
Some new faces are also in the mix in the Dream City, including sisters Mila and Amiyah Reynolds who come to UTA from Purdue. Younger sister Kira Reynolds is also in the mix as the lone true freshman on the squad and is the Lady Mavs highly touted prospect. Cedar Hill native Jadyn Atchison returns to the Lone Star State after stops at Colorado and most recently Old Dominion. Transfers Jeanne Rodriguez, Erin Sellers and Elisha Quinn are also in the mix.
 
"It's always a good day, it's always great energy knowing you're really close to the time to officially start your season," said coach Wright. "We want to pack the Park on October 28th against New Mexico in a free ticketed event!"


   
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