LUBBOCK, Texas (October 19, 2026) — Lubbock Christian University enters the 2026-27 women's basketball season with a familiar place among the Lone Star Conference's preseason contenders and an All-America guard drawing recognition, as the Lady Chaparrals were picked fourth in the LSC preseason poll and senior Kennedy Chappell was named a conference Player to Watch in Monday's announcement.
 
LCU collected 743 points in the preseason voting of conference head coaches, sports information directors and media representatives, placing fourth among the league's 17 programs. Texas Woman's claimed the top spot with 828 points and 31 first-place votes, followed by West Texas A&M with 794 points and 10 first-place votes. UT Tyler edged LCU for third with 755 points and nine first-place votes, leaving the Lady Chaps just 12 points outside the preseason top three. Eastern New Mexico rounded out the top five with 644 points and the remaining first-place vote.
 
The fourth-place selection extends an impressive stretch of preseason recognition for LCU, which has been picked fourth or better in all eight seasons since joining the Lone Star Conference in 2019-20. The Lady Chaps were last picked fourth entering the 2023-24 campaign, when they received 606 points and three first-place votes. This year's poll marks the first time in LCU's LSC membership that the Lady Chaps did not receive a first-place vote. Lubbock Christian was the league's preseason favorite in each of its first three seasons from 2019-20 through 2021-22 and had been picked second in three of the previous four preseason polls, including each of the last two seasons.
 
While LCU enters the season outside the preseason top three for only the second time in its LSC history, the Lady Chaps return three starters from last season's NCAA postseason squad, led by Chappell, reigning LSC Freshman of the Year Meg Meekins and sophomore guard Raegan Lee.
 
Chappell, a 5-foot-9 senior guard from Heath, Texas, headlines the returning group after a decorated junior campaign in which she earned Women's Basketball Coaches Association NCAA Division II All-America honorable mention and Division II Conference Commissioners Association All-South Central Region first-team recognition. She also collected All-LSC first-team, All-Defensive Team and All-Academic Team honors, becoming the 11th WBCA All-America honoree in program history.
 
An animal science major, Chappell is making her second consecutive appearance on the LSC's preseason Players to Watch list after leading LCU in several statistical categories during the 2025-26 season. She ranked second in the conference with 473 points, averaging 15.3 points per game while shooting 51.0% from the field, which also ranked second in the LSC. She paced the Lady Chaps with 200 rebounds, 105 assists and 57 steals, with her assist total ranking second in the conference.
 
Chappell scored in double figures in 27 of LCU's 31 games, including 10 performances of at least 20 points, and registered seven double-doubles. She scored a season-high 27 points against Southern Arkansas on Nov. 22 and earned both LSC Offensive Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week recognition during the campaign. Her contributions extended into the classroom, where she earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District recognition along with conference academic honors.
 
Joining Chappell in LCU's returning backcourt is Meekins, a 5-foot-8 sophomore from Nocona, Texas, who made an immediate impact in her debut collegiate season. The reigning LSC Freshman of the Year earned second-team All-LSC honors after producing 390 points and leading the Lady Chaps with 52 made 3-pointers. Meekins averaged 12.6 points per game, recorded 21 double-figure scoring performances and started all 31 games. She also collected D2CCA Tip-Off Classic all-tournament MVP honors and an LSC Offensive Player of the Week award during her freshman campaign.
 
Lee, a Lubbock native and Lubbock Christian High School product, completes the trio of returning starters as the Lady Chaps look to build on a 2025-26 campaign that produced 23 victories and another NCAA postseason appearance.
 
LCU finished last season 23-8 overall and 15-5 in conference play, opening the campaign with 11 consecutive victories while posting an 11-1 record inside Rip Griffin Center. The Lady Chaps ultimately earned a berth in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional, marking the program's 10th NCAA postseason appearance in 11 seasons of NCAA postseason eligibility.
 
The conference's preseason individual honors also included West Texas A&M junior guard/forward Kerbie Cash, who was selected LSC Preseason Player of the Year. Chappell was among 16 student-athletes recognized on the league's Players to Watch list.
 
Lubbock Christian will begin its pursuit of another postseason berth far from the South Plains, opening the 2026-27 campaign at the Hoops in Hawaii Tip-Off Classic in Honolulu. The eight-team D2CCA-sanctioned event, scheduled for Oct. 30-Nov. 1, will feature a traditional tournament bracket at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Center.
 
The Lady Chaps open tournament play Friday, Oct. 30, against Winona State at 7 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time (midnight Saturday, Oct. 31, Central time… as in Friday night – Saturday morning). LCU enters the event riding a six-game winning streak in D2CCA Tip-Off competition and carrying a perfect 4-0 all-time record in games played in Hawaii. The Lady Chaps are 8-3 all-time in D2CCA Tip-Off events and will be participating in the season-opening showcase for the sixth consecutive season.
 

2026-27 LSC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll, Player of the Year and Players to Watch

Preseason Poll

Rank	Team	First-Place Votes	Points
1	Texas Woman's	31	828
2	West Texas A&M	10	794
3	UT Tyler	9	755
4	Lubbock Christian	—	743
5	Eastern New Mexico	1	644
6	Angelo State	—	594
7	St. Mary's	—	540
8	UT Dallas	—	491
9	UT Permian Basin	—	484
10	St. Edward's	—	384
11	Texas A&M International	—	322
12	Oklahoma Christian	—	301
13	Midwestern State	—	283
14	Texas A&M-Kingsville	—	278
15	Cameron	—	167
16	Western New Mexico	—	109
17	Sul Ross State	—	86

Preseason Player of the Year

Kerbie Cash, G/F, Jr., West Texas A&M

Players to Watch

Name	School	Position	Class	Major	Hometown
Majik Esquivel	Angelo State	G	Jr.	Commercial Aviation	Lubbock, Texas
Emmary Elizondo	Cameron	G	So.	Early Childhood Education	El Reno, Okla.
Cacia Antonio	Eastern New Mexico	G	Sr.	University Studies	Luanda, Angola
Kennedy Chappell	Lubbock Christian	G	Sr.	Animal Science	Heath, Texas
Bralyn Peck	Midwestern State	F	Fr.	Undecided	Decatur, Texas
Taylor Jackson	Oklahoma Christian	F	Gr.	Marriage & Family Therapy	McKinney, Texas
Allie Garcia	St. Mary's	G	Sr.	Exercise & Sport Science	Adelaide, South Australia
Leslie Mojica	Sul Ross State	G	Sr.	Kinesiology & Human Perf.	El Paso, Texas
Bright Eze	Texas A&M International	F/C	Jr.	Business Administration	Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria
Kaycee Groves	Texas A&M-Kingsville	G	Sr.	Biomedical Sciences	Faith, S.D.
Madi Lumsden	Texas Woman's	G	Sr.	Accounting	Argyle, Texas
Umi Otsuka	UT Dallas	G	Sr.	Computer Science	Tokyo, Japan
Madison Walters	UT Permian Basin	G	Sr.	Biology	Paris, Texas
Polina Latysheva	UT Tyler	G	Sr.	Management	Moscow, Russia
Kerbie Cash	West Texas A&M	G/F	Jr.	Early Childhood Studies	Wylie, Texas
Jordan Sapien	Western New Mexico	PG	So.	Business	El Paso, Texas

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