CLEVELAND, OH -- Ohio Wesleyan junior forward Macy Miller (Marysville, OH/Milford Center Fairbanks) has been named the Player of the Year and Oberlin senior guard Angela Kumler (New Concord, OH/John Glenn) has been selected the league's Top Defensive Player to highlight the 2025-26 All-North Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball squad, as selected by league head coaches.
Miller, who collected her second-straight All-NCAC first-team certificate, earns the Battling Bishops their fourth-consecutive and 10th overall Player of the Year selection after leading the league in several statistical categories. The forward established herself as the NCAC’s most potent offensive force, leading Ohio Wesleyan with remarkable consistency despite missing two of the Battling Bishops’ 14 league matchups due to injury. Miller paced the conference in total made field goals (88) and rebounds (140), averaging 16.7 points and 11.7 boards per game, while ranking second in field-goal percentage (.518) and tying for fourth in blocked shots per game (1.3). Offensively, she posted double-digit scoring in 10 of her 12 conference contests, including three games with 20 or more points. Defensively, Miller anchored the paint with 16 blocked shots and consistently strong rebounding, grabbing at least 10 rebounds in nine of her 12 league appearances. The junior posted nine double-doubles this season, highlighted by a career-high 29 points to go along with 10 rebounds in the regular-season finale against Denison on Feb. 21, and a career-best 20 rebounds with 18 points against Oberlin on Jan. 3.
Kumler, who earned her second-consecutive All-NCAC second-team certificate, is Oberlin’s third overall NCAC Top Defensive Player honoree and first selection since Olivia Canning was named in both 2017-18 and 2018-19. In NCAC action, the guard led the league in steals with 52, averaging 3.7 per game, and ranked second in blocked shots with 20, swatting away 1.4 attempts per contest. She also pulled down the fifth-most defensive rebounds in the conference (61), grabbing three or more defensive boards in 12 of the 14 matchups, including a season-high eight against Kenyon on Jan. 24. Offensively, Kumler tied for the second-most assists in NCAC play with 53, averaging 3.8 per game, and posted the third-highest field-goal percentage (.510), making 75 baskets and totaling 188 points (13.4 per game). Throughout the conference schedule, she earned three or more steals in 11 contests and recorded at least one block in 11 matchups, highlighted by a season-high four blocks against Denison on Jan. 14.
Denison junior guard Abby Cooch (Clifton, VA/Bishop Ireton), the 2023-24 NCAC Newcomer of the Year, is the only player this season to earn first-team All-NCAC honors three times. DePauw junior forward Olivia Hart (Murfreesboro, TN/Central Magnet) moves up to the top team after a second-team selection last season, while Denison junior guard Ada Taute (Chicago, IL/St. Ignatius College Prep) earns first-team recognition following her third-team nod in 2023-24. John Carroll senior guard/forward Ava Ryncarz (Aurora, OH/Aurora) earns her first All-NCAC selection on the top team in the Blue Streaks’ inaugural season in the league.
Additionally, Denison first-year guard Molly Dorighi (Englewood, CO/Cherry Creek) is the seventh Big Red player in program history to be named the NCAC Women's Basketball Newcomer of the Year. In 14 conference games, the rookie started every matchup and quickly established herself as a key contributor for her team, averaging 5.9 points per game and ranking sixth in the NCAC with 27 steals (1.9 spg). She also tied for 13th in the league with 27 offensive rebounds (1.9 rpg) and added 61 total rebounds, 14 assists (1.0 apg), and 29 made free throws, ranking 14th in the conference. The first-year posted five or more points in 11 of 14 NCAC contests, grabbed at least five rebounds in nine games, and recorded two or more steals in nine conference matchups. While no first-year players were named to an All-NCAC team this season, her consistent production, defensive impact, and all-around contributions highlighted her as a standout rookie in league play.
For the second consecutive season, Ohio Wesleyan claimed the 2026 Coaching Staff of the Year honors, the 10th coaching award in program history. The Battling Bishops, who were guided to an 11-3 conference record, are led by first-year Head Coach Cody Hartzler, Associate Head Coach Susan Smith, and Assistant Coach Rachel Mikulec. In 14 NCAC games, OWU ranked in the top three in a majority of the statistical categories, including scoring 958 points (68.4 per game) on 358 field goals and 180 free throws. The Bishops also pulled down the second-most rebounds in the league (577; 41.2 rpg), recorded the third-most steals (133; 9.5 spg), and tied for the third-most assists (189; 13.5 apg). Defensively, Ohio Wesleyan committed the fewest turnovers in NCAC play (166), while forcing the second-most (249) to produce the league’s second-best turnover margin (5.3) and the top assist-to-turnover ratio (1.14).