WASHINGTON – Davidson women’s basketball has taken significant strides under the leadership of head coach Gayle Fulks. With nine returners including four starters, the Wildcats are hungry to take the next step and earn the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2026-27.
“We really are bringing back six starters in some ways,” Fulks told Field of 68’s Talia Goodman. “Jasmine Timmerson started for us. Emilie Bessell did too. Last year, we only had three kids who played meaningful minutes and so there was a lot of growth early and we kind of found a bit of a groove later. With this year’s team, that experience is why we scheduled how we did. I think we’re going to be in a very good position to compete well together early and we wanted to give ourselves the best chance.”
Here is a look at the Wildcats:
Coach – Gayle Fulks - 10
th season
Last year- Davidson went 21-12 overall and 12-6 in A10 play, marking the first 20-win season for the Wildcats since joining the conference. Davidson won its first four conference games and closed with another four-game win streak to wrap up regular season play. The Wildcats utilized the double bye at the Betterment Atlantic 10 Tournament before taking down Saint Joseph’s in the quarterfinals. The season ended one day later, falling to eventual champion Rhode Island in the semifinals.
They’ll miss- Charlise Dunn (15.3 ppg/7.4 rpg/40.8% FG/83.5% FT/63 3-pointers/60 stls). Edina Strausz (6.4 ppg/53.6% FG), Candice Lienafa (4.8 ppg)
Impact returners- Katie Donovan (12.1 ppg/44.7% FG/45.8% 3’s/80.7% FT/65 3-pointers), Kyra Bruyndoncx (9.3 ppg/42.3% FG), Ines Garcia Monje (5.3 ppg/4.9 rpg/43% FG)
Newcomers of note- Georgia Ferguson (5.1 ppg/48.1% FG at Evansville), Sharni Reisinger, Lilli Onnela (freshman)
Reasons to be optimistic- With Charlise Dunn becoming the program’s first-ever WNBA Draft selection, Katie Donovan has stepped up to take on a leadership role this year, something Fulks believe she is ready to handle.
Donovan began her career at Davidson as a point guard, before becoming a forward and then playing both positions last season as she became one of the most effective shooters in the country. Of all the players Fulks has coached, she said Donovan is one of the most improved over the course of her Davidson journey.
Kyra Bruyndoncx, another key returner for the Wildcats, had a successful summer with the Belgium U-20’s. This offseason also marked the first summer she has stayed fully healthy since arriving at Davidson. As a result, show displayed an extra level of commitment on the court and in the weight room.
She displayed noticeable, positive aggression during Davidson’s exhibition game against North Carolina, something Fulks appreciated.
Donovan complimented another returner, Bessell, for her improvement shooting the basketball. Fulks mentioned shooting development from Asha Nightingale as well, who played just two minutes before suffering a season-ending injury last year.
Both Fulks and Donovan raved at A10 Media Day about newcomer Lilli Onnela, a Finnish freshman who brings high-level experience overseas. Her ability to score, rebound and facilitate give her an opportunity make an early impact.
Sharni Reisinger is also set to make her debut this year. Reisinger is the latest Australian to join Davidson and has been compared to Donovan for her versatility on the court.
“Ultimately we have such a strong team,” said Donovan. “People come off the bench and can fill in wherever. Everyone is willing to step up, and we have way more experience this year. I’m really excited to see how we go.”
X Factor- When Davidson hired Fulks 10 years ago, she came to the school with a “Share, Shoot & Stifle” mantra and this offseason has emphasized shooting aspect.
“I joked we’re a Steph Curry college not a Shaquille O’Neal college, so we’ve got to be good at shooting,” Fulks reflected. “It all starts with space, the team willing to share the ball and share the load for scoring. That many weapons make our program special. We doubled down on it.”
Circle the date- Davidson faced a challenge non-conference slate a season ago, but Fulks managed to raise the bar once again this year, determined to give her team the best possible chance of making an NCAA Tournament appearance.
The team’s season opener is slated for Nov. 2 against last year’s WBIT champion Columbia, before the Wildcats play a string of five home games. The home stretch begins on Nov. 5 against Virginia, a team which made the NCAA Tournament last year and is now led by former Richmond head coach Aaron Roussell. Davidson goes to the Battle 4 Atlantis to face ACC powerhouse Notre Dame before meeting former Rhode Island head coach Tammi Reiss at Florida two days later. The Wildcats battle NC State on Dec. 6, before facing Vanderbilt on Dec. 9.
“I think it’s a bit of an honor that some of these programs want to play home-and-homes with us, that’s a huge part of it,” reflected Fulks. “Getting invited to play in the Atlantis tournament, getting a chance to play against Notre Dame, and then Florida on Thanksgiving Day on national TV. We want to be one of the premiere programs in all of college women’s basketball, so we wanted to test ourselves against the best teams we could find. This schedule will make us very tough. Come March, I think we’ll be a hard out.”
Bottom line- Davidson challenged its whole program to step up in the offseason and Fulks believes the returners did that, all for a common goal.
“We want to do things at Davidson no one has ever done,” concluded Donovan. “I want to lead the team to its first NCAA Tournament.”
Zac Weiss is a college athletics beat writer for Pittsburgh Sports Now, primarily reporting on Duquesne Athletics. Across his career, he has covered over 1,000 A10 sporting events.