Women’s basketball defeated the Kenyon Owls 76–53 on Senior Day, finishing the regular season with a win and clinching a spot in the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament. The Yeowomen celebrated fourth-years Ellie Pollock-Ballard, Angela Kumler, Lily Najmulski, and Katherine Csiszar with a pre-game ceremony; each fourth-year walked onto the court with family and received flowers and a framed jersey. Oberlin went on to cruise to victory.
“It meant a lot to have all of our families and friends there to watch us get a win,” Najmulski said. “They brought so much incredible energy and just made it so much fun to get to play in front of them.”
The seniors set the tone for Oberlin’s offense. Kumler led Oberlin with 19 points, shooting an efficient 6–10 from the field. Pollock-Ballard contributed 13 points, including three three-pointers, and Najmulski dropped 11 points of her own to go along with six rebounds. Other notable scorers were third-year forward Krystal Montas and second-year guard Gabby Peña-Hilzen.
“Offensively, we perform the best when we are doing it together — when we share the ball and get people the looks they want,” Najmulski said.“We have so many different threats on the court, and I feel like we are putting all the pieces together at the right time.”
The Yeomen opened up a double-digit lead at halftime and never looked back, pulling away in the second half to secure the win. Part of Oberlin’s success came from their suffocating defense. They held Kenyon to 53 points and had active hands the entire game, forcing 12 steals and three blocks. Kumler alone had six steals, and Najmulski added a pair.
“Angela Kumler … led the NCAC in steals this season with 3.9 steals per game,” Head Coach Stephany Dunmyer said. “[She] has set the tone for us on defense for two straight seasons. “She is so impactful at the top of our 1-3-1 zone and while pressuring the ball in our man-to-man defense. Angela’s length, basketball IQ, and anticipation consistently forced turnovers and disrupted the opposing team’s offense.”
This was a must-win game for Oberlin with the opportunity to make the conference tournament hanging in the balance. If that wasn’t enough motivation, achieving it on Senior Day would cap off the regular season on a high note for the class of 2026. Beating Kenyon on Saturday pushed Oberlin’s record to 4–9 in conference play, good enough for a fifth straight berth in the tournament.
“Senior Day is a memory I will carry with me forever,” Najmulski said. “Having my former teammates return to celebrate meant more than I can put into words, and seeing them in the stands reminded me of the family I’ve gained through playing basketball at Oberlin.”
On Tuesday, the Yeowomen traveled to John Carroll University for their opening round matchup in the NCAC tournament.
John Carroll entered the contest as the No. 3 seed in the tournament and No. 10 in the country for Division III after going 22–3 overall with an 11–2 record in NCAC play.
Oberlin entered as the No. 6 seed, finishing 8-17 overall with a 4–9 record in conference play.
John Carroll jumped out to a quick start in the first half, taking a commanding 26–13 lead heading into intermission.
Coming out of the break, the Yeowomen were outscored 25–15 in the third quarter to make it a 51–28 game. In the fourth, Oberlin battled back, outscoring John Carroll in the quarter 17–11 in a comeback effort that fell short.
Peña-Hilzen led the way offensively, scoring a career high 20 points against the nationally ranked Blue Streaks. She also added four rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal to round out a career day.
Kumler capped off her career with nine points, six rebounds, one block, and seven steals — one shy of her season high.
Pollock-Ballard provided seven points, two rebounds, one block, and three steals in her final contest with the Yeowomen.
“This is an incredible group of seniors who have poured so much into this program,” Dunmyer said. “They continued to grow as players and leaders, they were great teammates, and they showed so much resilience. They also finished as the third-most winningest class in school history with 55 wins over four years. But most importantly, they are just wonderful people, and our program is forever better because of them.”
