It’s been a few minutes since the Hawkeyes 2025-26 season came to an abrupt and unexpected end in the NCAA tournament. No. 2 seed Iowa was favored by 14 points against No. 10 seed Virginia. Instead, Iowa lost in double overtime on their home court.
The dust has long since settled from that painful ending, and it has been months since there was an uncharacteristic exodus of portal transfers from Iowa and some key graduations. Before we dive headfirst into the new season, let’s take pause and look at where
the dust did indeed settle.
Completed Eligibility / Graduated:
- Hannah Stuelke (Forward)
- Kylie Feuerbach (Guard)
- Taylor McCabe (Guard)
- Jada Gyamfi (Forward)
Some big gaps to fill here, with Stulke’s rebounding and ability to also play the 5 position, Feuerbach’s defensive prowess and senior leadership, and McCabe’s three-point shooting.
Transfer Portal Departures:
- Addie Deal (Guard) – Transferred to Wisconsin
- Teagan Mallegni (Forward) – Transferred to Wisconsin
- Emely Rodriguez (Forward) – Transferred to Syracuse
- Callie Levin (Guard) – Transferred to Northern Iowa
- Kennise Johnson (Guard) – Transferred to Delaware
Mallegni is from Wisconsin so being closer to home makes sense, and Levin is from Solon so UNI is a natural fit for her. Wisconsin plays at Carver Hawkeye Arena on January 31, and that will be an interesting one to watch. Rodriguez had raw potential but the fit at Iowa did not work.
Returning Players:
- Chit Chat Wright (Guard / 5-4 / 3rd Year)
- Taylor Stremlow (Guard / 5-10 / 3rd Year)
- Journey Houston (Guard-Forward / 6-0 / 2nd Year)
- Ava Heiden (Center / 6-4 / 3rd Year)
- Layla Hays (Center / 6-5 / 2nd Year)
Chit Chat is back to run the offense from the point guard position, with Heiden picking up where she left off last year at the post. Stremlow brings some much needed cohesion as the season begins, while Houston has been putting in the work during the offseason and looks like she has the potential to up her game a couple notches this season.
Incoming Portal Transfers:
- Dani Carnegie (Guard / 5-9 / 3rd Year)
- Amari Whiting (Guard / 5-10 / 4th Year)
- Jocelyn Faison (Guard-Forward / 6-1 / 2nd Year)
- Bria Medina (Guard / 5-6 / 4th Year)
Carnegie brings the outside shooting that Iowa sorely lacked last season, while Whiting brings solid defense, offensive play, and veteran leadership. Whiting was at Oklahoma State last season and BYU before that. Carnegie and Chit Chat Wright used to play together at Georgia Tech for the 2024-25 season, then Carnegie and Jocelyn Faison played together at Georgia last season.
Iowa assistant coach Lasondra Barrett was at Georgia Tech in 2024-25 where she coached Dani Carnegie and Chit Chat Wright. She is the connection to the state of Georgia that has now brought Carnegie and Faison to join forces with her and Chit Chat Wright at Iowa.
Incoming 1st Year Players:
- McKenna Woliczko (Forward / 6-2 / 1st Year)
- Ella Stromdahl (Guard / 5-9 / 1st Year)
McKenna Woliczko is looking like the 5-star recruit that she was heralded to be. There is no hesitation and she doesn’t look slightly intimidated like most freshmen will. She has the potential to get double doubles in games with her versatility to score and rebound. Her shot blocking ability will only grow over time. Stromdahl will likely see limited minutes this year.
The New Offensive Scheme & A Road Test:
Adding portal transfer guards who can score, with the versatility of Woliczklo / Houston / Faison at the 3 or 4 positions has positioned Jan Jensen to return to the 4-out 1-in offensive scheme Iowa used to play back in the Caitlin Clark days and stretch the court.
Iowa is at home on Thursday at 7:00 PM CT for another warmup non-conference game against Eastern Iowa. Then it gets real when Iowa travels to No. 2 UConn on Sunday, November 8 for a 1:00 PM CT road test.
