NORFOLK, Va. (Oct. 21, 2026)--The Morgan State women's basketball team was picked to finish fifth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Preseason poll. Meanwhile graduate guard Mihjae Hayes and freshman guard Jahzara Leamon were named to the MEAC Preseason Watch List, as announced by the league office on Wednesday.
 
The preseason poll was voted on by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors.
 
Defending regular season and tournament champion Howard claimed 10 first-place votes and 86 points. Norfolk State had 76 points and was second, followed by Maryland Eastern Shore, which had one first-place vote and 56 points. Coppin State received 47 points, followed by Morgan State, which secured 40 total points for fifth. North Carolina Central was picked sixth with 36 points, while Delaware State (36 points) and South Carolina State (17 points) rounded out the league's predicted order of finish.
 
The Lady Bears begin the 2026-27 campaign at home on Monday, Nov. 2, when it hosts Washington Adventist for Education Day at 11 a.m. at Hill Field House. Morgan State will then go on the road to face a challenging non-conference schedule three nationally recognized programs that reached the NCAA Tournament last season. First up will be a contest at Colorado (Nov. 4), then a date against ESPN #21 Oklahoma State (Nov. 6), before concluding the road trip at ESPN #23 Oklahoma (Nov. 8).
 
Morgan State will also compete in the inaugural 410 Invitational powered by Under Armour, a planned multi-year event featuring men's and women's basketball teams from Morgan State, UMBC, Towson and Loyola Maryland. The women's competition begins Nov. 13, when Morgan State visits UMBC.
 
The 2027 MEAC Basketball Tournament will be held March 10-13, 2027 at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va.
 
The 2026 MEAC Men's and Women's Basketball Media Day is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 23 at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Baltimore.
 
 
2026-27 Women's Basketball MEAC Preseason All-Conference
 
Predicted Order of Finish
School (First-Place Votes), Points
1. Howard (10), 86
2. Norfolk State, 76
3. Maryland Eastern Shore (1), 56
4. Coppin State, 47
5. Morgan State, 40
6. North Carolina Central, 36
7. Delaware State, 34
8. South Carolina State, 17
 
Preseason Watch List
Coppin State – Shanaii Gamble and Karen Nimo
Delaware State – Mahogany Cottingham
Howard – Zoe Stewart and Ariella Hennigan
North Carolina Central – Victoria Morris and Eboni Clay
Maryland Eastern Shore – Kaliya Perry and Mak Moore
Morgan State – Mihjae Hayes and Jahzara Leamon
Norfolk State – Alexis Davis and Cire Worley
South Carolina State – Alexia Murphy and Monajah Ford
 
 
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 150 baccalaureate, master's degree, doctorate and certificate programs. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.