AMES — Iowa State women’s basketball lost nearly its entire roster to the transfer portal in April, but head coach Bill Fennelly and his staff quickly rebuilt the roster through the same process.
The Cyclones enter the 2026-27 season with three returning players, seven transfer additions, one freshman and a new associate head coach. While the team’s identity remains uncertain entering the offseason, Iowa State assembled a roster featuring experience from across the country and internationally.
“Our focus and plan in our recruiting efforts started with bringing in players who were excited to play at Iowa State and experience Hilton Magic,” head coach Bill Fennelly said, “We wanted to find players who had a variety of skill sets and basketball experience.”
RETURNERS
Arianna Jackson
Senior guard Arianna Jackson will be Iowa State’s lone four-year Cyclone entering the 2026-27 season.
The Des Moines native averaged 6.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game while shooting 42.3% from the field during her junior campaign. Jackson continued to establish herself as one of Iowa State’s top perimeter shooters, finishing the season shooting 43.9% from 3-point range after going 61-for-139 from beyond the arc.
Evangelia Paulk
Senior guard Evangelia Paulk returns for her second season at Iowa State after previously spending two years at Wofford.
During the 2025-26 season, Paulk appeared in 25 games and averaged 2.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists while shooting 34.7% from the field.
Freya Jensen
Sophomore guard Freya Jensen is Iowa State’s third returning player after initially entering the transfer portal before deciding to remain with the program.
Jensen appeared in 11 games during her freshman season, averaging 1.6 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 6.3 minutes per game.
Before arriving in Ames, Jensen competed for Denmark in Fédération Internationale de Basketball youth competition from 2022-25, averaging 15.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
TRANSFER PORTAL ADDITIONS
Mya Babbitt
Junior guard Mya Babbitt became Iowa State’s first transfer portal addition after spending three seasons at Kent State.
Babbitt averaged 16.1 points, four rebounds and 1.7 assists per game during the 2025-26 season while shooting 37.4% from the field.
Gift Ezekiel
Junior center Gift Ezekiel transferred to Iowa State after one season at Florida.
Ezekiel averaged 2.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game during the 2025-26 season and is expected to help fill the void left by former Cyclone Audi Crooks.
Ashleigh Connor
Redshirt junior guard Ashleigh Connor arrives in Ames after stops at Saint Louis and La Salle.
Connor averaged 15.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game during her redshirt junior season while shooting 44% from the field and 35.6% from 3-point range.
Alex-Anne Bessette
Freshman guard Alex-Anne Bessette transferred to Iowa State after one season at Loyola Chicago.
Bessette averaged 11.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 42.8% during her freshman season.
Before college, Bessette represented Canada at the FIBA U18 Women’s Americas Championship, helping the team win a silver medal. She was also a three-time All-Canadian selection in high school.
Sienna Harvey
Freshman guard Sienna Harvey transferred from Washington after averaging 3.8 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game during her freshman season.
Before college, Harvey competed for Australia’s youth national team from 2022-25, averaging 5.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in international competition.
Emilija Dakic
Freshman guard Emilija Dakic followed the Florida-to-Iowa State pipeline after spending her freshman season with the Gators.
Dakic averaged 1.6 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.5 assists while shooting 40% from the field. Before Florida, Dakic competed for Australia’s youth national team alongside Harvey.
Reggi Spotts
Freshman guard Reggi Spotts transferred to Iowa State from North Iowa Area Community College.
The Mason City native averaged 13.8 points per game while shooting 46.8% from the field and 38.1% from 3-point range during her time at NIACC.
Tjaša Turnšek
Freshman center Tjaša Turnšek will join the Cyclones after spending time with CC Tarptautinis Universitetas Klaipėda, an international university in Klaipėda, Lithuania.
Prior to Iowa State, the Slovenia native center competed for both FIBA national youth and senior teams. During Turnšek’s senior season, she averaged eight points, five rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game over the 2025 season.
From 2022-25, Turnšek averaged nine points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while on the youth national team.
FRESHMAN
Macy Comito
Macy Comito is Iowa State’s lone incoming freshman in the 2026 recruiting class.
The Carlisle native led Carlisle High School to its first girls’ state basketball championship during her senior season. Comito averaged 20.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 48.2% from the field and 36.5% from 3-point range.
According to ESPN, Comito entered college with a 91 overall scouting grade.
