Photo by: Christina Leung
Dons Tabbed Fifth In West Coast Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
10/14/2026 8:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco was picked fifth in the annual West Coast Conference Women's Basketball Preseason poll as announced Wednesday morning. In addition, Candy Edokpaigbe and Aina Cargol were named to the conference's preseason team.
The preseason poll and preseason team are voted on solely by the conference's 10 head coaches.
The Dons earned 58 points for fifth place, one shy of Pepperdine's 59 points for fourth place. USF is coming off a 19-15 season last year. Following a 9-9 conference play finish in the regular season, the Dons won two games in the Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Basketball Championship, advancing to the quarterfinals. USF entered the postseason, defeating Utah Valley in the first round of the WNIT.
USF, Portland, Pepperdine and Santa Clara all featured two players on the preseason team. Edokpaigbe and Cargol mark the first Dons to earn conference preseason honors since Debora dos Santos in 2024-25. The last time USF featured two players on the conference preseason team was 2014-15 (Zhane Dikes and Taylor Proctor).
Edokpaigbe was one of the conference's top stars last season, garnering all-conference first-team accolades. She averaged a team-best 17.9 points per game, and defensively led the team in blocks with 20 while ranking tied for second in steals with 51. She scored a career-high 28 points twice last season.
As a freshman last season, Cargol started all 34 games, averaging 9.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. Last season she was recognized by the WCC as an honoree on the all-freshman team and all-conference honorable mention. She scored a career-high 21 points against Washington State and collected a career-high four steals against San Diego in the conference tournament.
USF opens the 2026-27 campaign against Hawaii on Thursday, Nov. 5 at noon.
For questions or more information regarding tickets, please click here or contact the USF Athletics Ticket Office at (415) 422-2873 or usftickets@usfca.edu.
To view the full 2026-27 women's basketball schedule, please click here.
For updates and more information on the San Francisco women's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsWBB on Twitter, @USFDonsWBB on Instagram, and @USFDonsWBB on Facebook.
The preseason poll and preseason team are voted on solely by the conference's 10 head coaches.
The Dons earned 58 points for fifth place, one shy of Pepperdine's 59 points for fourth place. USF is coming off a 19-15 season last year. Following a 9-9 conference play finish in the regular season, the Dons won two games in the Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Basketball Championship, advancing to the quarterfinals. USF entered the postseason, defeating Utah Valley in the first round of the WNIT.
USF, Portland, Pepperdine and Santa Clara all featured two players on the preseason team. Edokpaigbe and Cargol mark the first Dons to earn conference preseason honors since Debora dos Santos in 2024-25. The last time USF featured two players on the conference preseason team was 2014-15 (Zhane Dikes and Taylor Proctor).
Edokpaigbe was one of the conference's top stars last season, garnering all-conference first-team accolades. She averaged a team-best 17.9 points per game, and defensively led the team in blocks with 20 while ranking tied for second in steals with 51. She scored a career-high 28 points twice last season.
As a freshman last season, Cargol started all 34 games, averaging 9.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. Last season she was recognized by the WCC as an honoree on the all-freshman team and all-conference honorable mention. She scored a career-high 21 points against Washington State and collected a career-high four steals against San Diego in the conference tournament.
USF opens the 2026-27 campaign against Hawaii on Thursday, Nov. 5 at noon.
For questions or more information regarding tickets, please click here or contact the USF Athletics Ticket Office at (415) 422-2873 or usftickets@usfca.edu.
To view the full 2026-27 women's basketball schedule, please click here.
For updates and more information on the San Francisco women's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsWBB on Twitter, @USFDonsWBB on Instagram, and @USFDonsWBB on Facebook.
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