The women’s club basketball team after a practice in the Schottenstein Center on March 30, 2026. Credit: Courtesy of Julia Reichert.
Ohio State’s women’s basketball club team was one win away from capturing the National Club Basketball Association championship a season ago.
After losing in the title game to Boston College 60-49 in Erie, Pennsylvania, the club team returns with a roster of many familiar faces.
Ohio State brings back 12 of its 14 players from last season’s national championship runner-up campaign for the 2026-27 season, something the team looks to use as an advantage heading into this year.?
“Last year we just fell short,” said Belle Bozic, the club’s vice president and a fourth-year in finance who plays guard for the team. “Since we have a lot of returners, one of our main goals is to get as far as we did last year and pull it off.”
The Buckeyes begin their season with their first game Thursday at home against Mount Vernon.?
“Our practices have been going well and our intensity is up,” said Jael Haynes-Lee, a second-year in criminal justice and point guard for the Buckeyes. “Because there are so many returners, I think our chemistry is really good, and we have a bond outside which makes it stronger and so much fun.”
The team competes in the NCBBA Women’s Great Lakes South Conference and is a six-time conference champion. The conference includes club teams from the University of Pittsburgh, West Virginia University, Ohio University and Carnegie Mellon University.
“Our rival is, obviously, Michigan and historically has also included Grand Valley State and Michigan State, who we usually run into in our regional tournament,” said Julia Reichert, president and small forward for the team and a second-year dental student. “We also tend to run into Boston College in the National tournament, so I would also include them as a rival.”
The team’s preseason began with an open tryout process in August, in which 30 students showed up to compete for the two open roster spots.?
“This tryout, we were looking for the missing pieces that we didn’t have last year, people that added unique game that we didn’t have before,” Reichert said.
The two new players who joined the team are Rachel Spalding, a second-year in aviation, and Sarah Bero, a second-year in natural resource management. Both players are from Youngstown, Ohio.
“They’re very bright people and they increase the intensity and you can see that with how they play,” Haynes-Lee said. “The new players fit right in.”
Prior to the start of the regular season, the team played in competitive tournaments throughout the fall against other colleges before starting their conference games.?
However, their relationship and chemistry go beyond the court.?
With social chairs who initiate team gatherings and team bonding, the team is able to build strong connections on and off the court. The team practices twice a week before the first game starts and once a week after the regular season begins..
“We are so competitive during practice and with this team, we can push each other to the max on the court and off the court, we’re best friends,” Reichert said.?
The connections the team made outside of the gym have not only helped the team socially, but made an impact when they compete on the court.
“I feel like one of our strengths during games is that we bring energy that other teams don’t have and that definitely stems from our chemistry,” Bozic said.
Looking to use their strong rapport built throughout the preseason to translate into wins, the team is ready to take to the court to chase a record breaking season.
“We are a very competitive team, but I feel like at the end of the day any girl on this team would have my back and I value that more than anything,” Bozic said.
