Women's Basketball 10/22/2026 12:00:00 PM Tyler McDonough, Assistant Director of Sports Communications

Women's Basketball Picked Seventh in RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, Gallery Earns Preseason All-Conference Honors

ThunderWolves Look to Return to Postseason Contention Behind Experienced Transfers and Eighth-Year Head Coach Tommie Johnson

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Looking to return to postseason contention following a disappointing 2025-26 campaign, the Colorado State University Pueblo women's basketball team has been picked to finish seventh in the 2026-27 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll released by the league office Thursday afternoon.

In the poll voted on by the league's 15 head coaches, the ThunderWolves earned 129 points and one third-place vote, placing them just four points behind sixth-place Colorado School of Mines. Three-time defending RMAC champion Colorado Mesa was picked to finish atop the conference standings after receiving 192 points and 11 first-place votes. The Mavericks are coming off a 2025-26 campaign that saw them advance to the NCAA Division II National Semifinals behind RMAC Player of the Year Olivia Reed Thyne, who graduated following last season. Mesa also received two second-place votes and one third-place vote in the preseason poll.

The seventh-place preseason selection comes as the ThunderWolves look to bounce back from a disappointing 2025-26 campaign that saw the program finish with a 13-15 overall record and miss the postseason for the first time since 2021. The absence from postseason play was an unfamiliar result for a program that has established high expectations under head coach Tommie Johnson, who enters his eighth season at the helm of the Pack and is approaching his 100th career victory.

Despite last season's setback, Johnson and his coaching staff have retooled the roster with several experienced newcomers, including multiple NCAA Division I transfers and proven RMAC talent, as the ThunderWolves look to return to their winning ways and climb back into contention in the league standings.

Behind Colorado Mesa, MSU Denver was picked second in the preseason poll after receiving 166 points and one first-place vote. UCCS was selected third with 157 points and two first-place votes, while Black Hills State was tabbed fourth with 155 points and earned the remaining first-place vote. Fort Lewis rounded out the top five with 143 points.

Colorado School of Mines was picked sixth with 133 points, followed by CSU Pueblo in seventh with 129 points. New Mexico Highlands was selected eighth with 99 points, while Adams State was tabbed ninth with 87 points and Colorado Christian rounded out the top 10 with 74 points.

Western Colorado was picked 11th with 71 points, followed by South Dakota Mines in 12th with 66 points. Chadron State and Westminster tied for 13th with 39 points each, while Regis rounded out the poll in 15th place with 25 points.

In addition to being picked seventh in the preseason coaches' poll, CSU Pueblo had one player selected to the league's 10-member Preseason All-RMAC Team, as incoming senior forward Kate Gallery (Pueblo, Colo./Regis) was among the players recognized by the conference.

Gallery, who joins the ThunderWolves after transferring from Regis, returns to her hometown following a standout 2025-26 campaign with the Rangers that saw her earn Second-Team All-RMAC honors. The Pueblo West High School graduate averaged 17.7 points per game last season, ranking seventh in the conference in scoring, and gives the Pack an established offensive threat heading into the upcoming campaign.

Gallery is no stranger to Massari Arena, as she nearly helped lead Regis to an upset victory over the ThunderWolves on Jan. 17 last season. In that contest, Gallery recorded an impressive double-double with 28 points and 10 rebounds against her hometown team. Now, the Pueblo native will trade her Regis uniform for CSU Pueblo's red and blue as she prepares to play her final collegiate season in front of her hometown fans.

The addition of Gallery is particularly significant for a ThunderWolves squad that must replace several key contributors from last season, including First-Team All-RMAC guard Seneya Martinez, who was among the conference's top scorers in 2025-26 as she averaged 16.5 points per game and shot 47 percent from the field and 39 percent from the 3-point line.

Along with Martinez, CSU Pueblo also lost a pair of All-Conference guard in Genesis Sweetwine and Ruby Sweeney-Spitzeck, leaving Johnson and his coaching staff with the task of replacing significant production and experience in the backcourt.

To help offset those departures, Johnson bolstered the roster during the offseason with several experienced transfers, including Gallery, who is one of multiple newcomers expected to make an immediate impact for the ThunderWolves in 2026-27.

Joining Gallery in Pueblo is her former Pueblo West High School teammate, fifth-year senior guard Gabby Louther (Pueblo, Colo./UC San Diego), who arrives at CSU Pueblo after spending her previous collegiate seasons at NCAA Division I UC San Diego. Louther, who graduated from UC San Diego this past spring, returns to her hometown for her fifth and final collegiate season and brings additional Division I experience to the ThunderWolves' backcourt.

Johnson also added another experienced Division I transfer in senior guard Shelomi Sanders (Rockwell, Texas/Alabama A&M), who returns to the state of Colorado after previously playing for the University of Colorado before spending the 2025-26 season at Alabama A&M. Sanders provides the ThunderWolves with another experienced option as Johnson continues to reshape his roster.

In addition, the Pack welcome senior guard Karys Washington (Fort Smith, Ark./Wichita State University) as a late addition to the roster following her time at NCAA Division I Wichita State. Washington is expected to provide additional size, experience and depth to the ThunderWolves' frontcourt.

The arrival of Gallery, Louther, Sanders and Washington gives Johnson and his coaching staff an influx of collegiate experience as CSU Pueblo looks to overcome the graduation of several key contributors and a hopeful return to the postseason in 2026-27.

With Gallery bringing proven RMAC scoring ability, Louther and Sanders adding Division I experience, and Washington providing another presence in the frontcourt, the ThunderWolves enter Johnson's eighth season with a retooled roster and an opportunity to reestablish themselves among the conference's postseason contenders.

CSU Pueblo will officially open the 2026-27 season on Friday, Nov. 13, when it faces Lubbock Christian at 5 p.m. in Lubbock, Texas, as part of the Food King Classic. The ThunderWolves will conclude the two-day event on Saturday, Nov. 14, with a 3 p.m. contest against UT Tyler.

The Pack will then return to Pueblo for its home opener on Friday, Nov. 20, when it welcomes Western New Mexico to Massari Arena for a 5 p.m. non-conference contest.

2026-27 Preseason All-RMAC Women's Basketball Team