HONOLULU (October 30, 2026) - For the third time in program history, Lubbock Christian women's basketball is heading to Hawaii, but for the first time, the Lady Chaps will open their season in the islands. LCU begins its campaign at a D2CCA event for the sixth consecutive year, (and for the first time) competing in the Hoops in Hawaii Tip-Off Classic at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Center on the Saint Louis School campus. The event features a bracket-style tournament similar to the popular Maui Invitational, with the Lady Chaps opening against Winona State on Friday at 11:55 p.m. CT. LCU's matchups for Saturday and Sunday will be determined by the tournament bracket.
   

HOOPS IN HAWAII CLASSIC
OPPONENT	LOCATION	DAY	TIME (CT)	WATCH	STATS
Winona St.	Honolulu, Hawaii	Fri., Oct. 30	11:55 p.m. (CT)	Video	Stats

   
ALOHA!
Lubbock Christian women's basketball is making its third trip to Hawaii and third visit to Honolulu in 2026-27, entering the trip with a perfect 4-0 record in games played in the state. The Lady Chaps first traveled to Oahu for the 2013-14 Oahu Classic, defeating BYU-Hawaii 75-48 and Hawaii Pacific 92-80. LCU returned for the 2021 Oahu Thanksgiving Classic, beating Minnesota Crookston 62-42 before earning a 73-52 road win over Hawaii Pacific.
 
GLANCING BACK AT LAST SEASON
LCU continued its postseason tradition in 2025-26, finishing 23-8 overall and 15-5 in Lone Star Conference play while earning its 10th NCAA Tournament appearance in 11 seasons of postseason eligibility. The Lady Chaparrals opened with 11 consecutive victories and posted an 11-1 record inside Rip Griffin Center. LCU averaged 66.7 points per game while limiting opponents to 58.6 points and 37.1% shooting. Kennedy Chappell earned WBCA honorable mention All-America honors after averaging 15.3 points, while Meg Meekins claimed LSC Freshman of the Year recognition. The season concluded in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional.
 
WHO RETURNS
Lubbock Christian returns 10 players, including three starters. The returners accounted for 68.1% of last season's scoring (1,408 of 2,068 points), led by senior Kennedy Chappell and sophomore Meg Meekins. Chappell, a WBCA honorable mention All-American and first-team All-LSC selection, averaged 15.3 points and 6.5 rebounds while leading LCU with 105 assists and 57 steals. Meekins, the reigning LSC Freshman of the Year and second-team All-LSC selection, averaged 12.6 points and led the Lady Chaps with 52 3-pointers. Sophomore Raegan Lee returns after making 30 starts, while Kyndle Cunningham (4.6 PPG) and Maddie Moyers (40% from 3-point range) provide experienced depth. Seniors Chappell and Kimber Mathews join Moyers as the roster's three upperclassmen. Mattie Dollar, Ally Ihler, Kaitlyn McAdoo and Kaelie Massenburg also return, giving head coach Steve Gomez a group that combines proven production with developing talent.
 
WHO THEY LOST
The Lady Chaparrals lost five players from last season's 23-8 squad, including two full-time starters in Martie McCoy and Tia Johnson. The departing group accounted for 660 points (31.9% of LCU's offense), 290 rebounds, 174 assists and 63 starts. McCoy started all 31 games, averaging 7.4 points and 3.6 rebounds while finishing second on the team with 95 assists. Johnson also started all 31 contests, contributing 7.3 points per game while shooting 42.6% from the field and 86% from the free-throw line. Taylor Allen provided perimeter production off the bench, appearing in 31 games and averaging 3.9 points while connecting on 20 3-pointers. Deja Johnson appeared in all 31 games, making one start and averaging 2.6 points while shooting 53.1% from the field. Taylor Thomas, who appeared in 10 games, also does not return. The departures leave LCU replacing two established starters, including significant backcourt playmaking and complementary scoring production.
 
NEW FACES
Head coach Steve Gomez welcomes four freshmen to LCU's 2026-27 roster, adding three guards and a 6-foot-3 post player. Kambrie Graser (5-11, Canyon, Texas) arrives as a two-time all-state selection and reigning District 4-4A MVP after leading Canyon High School to consecutive regional finals and surpassing 1,000 career points. Brooke Nowak (5-11, Phoenix, Ariz.) earned four All-5A East Sky Region selections at Notre Dame Prep and averaged 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals as a junior. Alexis Martens (5-7, San Antonio, Texas), a two-time first-team All-District 27-6A selection at Churchill, brings point guard instincts and athleticism after also tying her high school's pole vault record. Madison Garner (6-3, Chireno, Texas) adds interior size and rebounding after earning TABC All-State recognition and District 24-2A Defensive Player of the Year honors. Gomez expects Graser to contribute early while viewing all four freshmen as versatile additions with considerable long-term potential.
 
FAMILIAR TOURNAMENT
The Lady Chaps are making its sixth consecutive appearance in a D2CCA Tip-Off event in 2026-27, continuing a tradition that began in 2021. The Lady Chaps competed at the Trailhead hosted by Montana State Billings in 2021, followed by the 2022 event in Kansas City, Missouri, hosted by the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. LCU hosted the showcase in Lubbock in 2023, West Texas A&M hosted in 2024, and the Lady Chaps traveled to St. Joseph, Missouri, in 2025.
 
LCU enters the Hoops in Hawaii Tip-Off Classic with an 8-3 all-time record in D2CCA Tip-Off competition and a six-game winning streak. Last season, the Lady Chaps rallied from a 13-point deficit to defeat Adams State 66-57 before beating host Missouri Western 82-75 to complete a perfect weekend.
 
READY FOR ANOTHER SEASON
The season will mark Steve Gomez"s 24th season leading the Lady Chaparrals. The Lady Chaps have posted 576 wins and 165 losses under his guidance, which includes the accomplishment of three NCAA Division II national championships and a NCAA Division II record 113-game win streak in home contests. He enters the season as the sixth-best active head coach (in Division II) in win percentage (.777), which is second of active coaches with at least 20 years of coaching. He is actively ranked ninth in wins (576) among Div. II coaches (He actively leads all coaches that have coached less than 27 seasons).  If Gomez can achieve 600 career wins this season, he would be the 14th coach in NCAA women's basketball history to reach 600 career wins in 24 seasons or less. He is also a 20-win season shy of becoming the first NCAA Division II coach to have 20 20-win seasons at the same university in Texas (currently tied with West Texas A&M former head coach Bob Schneider).
 
SEASON OPENERS
LCU is probably more known for how they finish the season, than how they begin the season. The Lady Chaps are 11-8 over their last 19 season openers. LCU opened last season with an 66-57 win over Adams State in St. Joseph, Mo. (Nov 1, 2025). LCU is 31-16 all-time and 15-8 under head coach Steve Gomez in openers.
 
FIVE THINGS ABOUT WSU
1 > Winona State opens its 2026-27 campaign against Lubbock Christian University and the Warriors return 11 players from a squad that finished 17-13 overall and 13-9 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play last season, placing sixth overall and fourth in the NSIC South Division. Winona State advanced to the NSIC Tournament quarterfinals, defeating Minot State 70-46 before falling to Minnesota Duluth 63-45. Entering her fifth season, head coach Ana Wurtz leads a program picked ninth overall and sixth in the NSIC South preseason coaches' poll. The Warriors received 112 points in the overall conference voting.
 
2 > The Warriors return three double-digit scorers but must replace their leading scorer from last season, Hailey Markworth, who averaged 15.8 points and 6.2 rebounds while starting all 30 contests. Senior Vivica Bretton headlines the returning production after averaging 11.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and a team-leading 3.3 assists. Junior Megan Schuman contributed 10.8 points and 5.9 rebounds, shooting a team-best 56.2% from the field, while junior Sadie Jarmolowicz added 10.2 points and 6.1 rebounds. Those three returning starters combined for 32.7 points per game last season. Winona State returns approximately 72% of its scoring production (1,485 of 2,066 points), providing an experienced offensive foundation despite Markworth's departure.
 
3 > Bretton was selected as Winona State's 2026-27 NSIC Player to Watch following a productive junior campaign. The 5-foot-10 senior from Rochester, Minn., started all 30 games, averaging 32.9 minutes while distributing a team-leading 100 assists and scoring 352 points. Jarmolowicz provides the Warriors with a dangerous perimeter threat, having connected on 68 three-pointers in 170 attempts (40.0%) last season. Her 68 makes accounted for nearly one-third of the team's 215 three-pointers. Schuman provides an interior presence after collecting a team-high 86 offensive rebounds last season. Winona State also welcomes three newcomers, including Grand Valley State transfer Sydney Cherney and freshmen Vana Bilic and Alexandra Nowak-Tice.
 
4 > Winona State's greatest statistical strength last season was its rebounding advantage, as the Warriors averaged 37.9 rebounds while limiting opponents to 30.0 per game, producing a plus-8.0 rebounding margin. That advantage improved to plus-8.5 in conference competition. The Warriors averaged 68.9 points while allowing 66.5, shooting 43.1% from the field and 32.6% from three-point range. Winona State connected on 7.2 three-pointers per contest and held opponents to 29.6% shooting beyond the arc. Free-throw opportunities also proved important, with the Warriors making 381 free throws compared with 253 by their opponents. However, ball security presented challenges, as Winona State averaged 15.4 turnovers against 11.6 assists.
 
5 > The Warriors will look to improve their performance away from home after compiling an 11-4 home record, 6-8 road mark and 0-1 neutral-site record last season. Winona State averaged 71.5 points in NSIC competition but experienced offensive inconsistency late in the season, scoring fewer than 70 points in five consecutive conference road games during January and February. The Warriors are emphasizing improved ball movement, defensive intensity and offensive balance entering the new campaign. Winona State's 14-player roster features 11 returners and three newcomers, with Bretton, Schuman and Jarmolowicz providing veteran leadership. The Hawaii trip marks the program's first appearance in the event, with the Warriors facing either Hawaii Pacific or Western Colorado following their opening-round matchup against LCU
 
THE SERIES AGAINST WSU
LCU and Winona State will be meeting for the first time all-time. The last time LCU faced a Minnesota-based program was ironically in Hawaii, as LCU topped Minnesota-Crookston 62-42 on Nov. 25 at "The Shark Tank" during the Oahu Thanksgiving Classic. LCU is 2-0 all-time against Minnesota programs, as they also defeated Minnesota Morris 70-68 in Colorado Springs, Colo. On Dec. 29, 1994.
 
THE RUNDOWN
If LCU defeats WSU, they will play Saturday at 11:55 p.m. (CT) against either Hawaii Pacific or Western Colorado (whoever wins).
 
If LCU falls to WSU, they will play Saturday at 7 p.m. (CT) against either Hawaii Pacific or Western Colorado (Whoever loses).
 
LCU's ALL-TIME RECORD AGAINST THE HAWAII FIELD
 
vs. Alaska Anchorage - 1-0
vs. Chaminade - 0-0
vs. Colorado Mesa - 2-2
vs. Hawaii Pacific - 2-0
vs. St. Mary's - 22-5
vs. Western Colorado - 3-0
vs. Winona State - 0-0