NORFOLK, Va. – University of Maryland Eastern Shore women's basketball seniors Brianna Barnes and Ashanti Lynch have each been named to the MEAC's Preseason All-Conference Second Team.

Barnes comes into the 2025-26 season after starting 15 of 30 games played last season, her first with the Hawks, while averaging 21.2 minutes per game. She was second on the team in assists and steals with 51 and 47, respectively. Barnes was also third on the team in total points (257), points per game (8.6), free throws made (59) and free throw percentage (74.7%). She scored a career-high 18 points in the Hawks' game against Marquette last season. For the year, she totaled 111 rebounds and 51 assists.

A four-year player for the Hawks, Lynch averaged 8.6 points per game last season while starting 26 of 31 games played. She averaged 24.4 minutes per game while totaling 119 rebounds, 41 assists, 58 steals and seven blocks. She maintained a 65.6% free throw percentage while averaging 28.6% from beyond the arc with a 39% overall shooting percentage.

North Carolina Central graduate forward Morgan Callahan has been named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Women's Basketball Preseason Player of the Year, the league announced today. Howard University was selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2025-26 MEAC women's basketball title. 

All awards were voted on by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors. 

Callahan, a standout for the Eagles, returns after an impressive 2024-25 campaign in which she ranked among the MEAC's top performers. She averaged 12.5 points per game (9th in the MEAC) and 8.3 rebounds (3rd in the MEAC) while recording 48 blocks (3rd in the MEAC) and 43 steals (15th in the MEAC). The graduate forward started all 29 games, averaging 35.7 minutes per contest (3rd in the MEAC) and shooting 41 percent from the field. Her season highlights included an 18-rebound performance against South Carolina State, tied for the third-best single-game mark in the conference last season, and four games with four or more blocked shots. 

Howard earned the top spot in the preseason poll after receiving 118 total points and 10 first-place votes. The Bison finished the 2024-25 season with a 22-11 overall record and a 12-2 mark in MEAC play, placing second in the regular-season standings. For the second consecutive year, Howard advanced to the MEAC Tournament Championship Game, narrowly falling to Norfolk State, 51-46. The Bison finished last season ranked second in both scoring offense and scoring defense and were again predicted near the top of the standings after sharing the No. 1 preseason ranking last year. 

Reigning MEAC Tournament and regular-season champion Norfolk State was picked to finish second, earning 107 points and four first-place votes. Maryland Eastern Shore placed third with 93 points, followed by North Carolina Central in fourth (68 points, one first-place vote). Rounding out the preseason poll were Morgan State (5th, 62 points), Coppin State (6th, 60 points), Delaware State (7th, 41 points), and South Carolina State (8th, 27 points, one first-place vote). 

Joining Callahan on the Preseason All-MEAC First Team are Ja'la Bannerman (Morgan State), Nile Miller (Howard), Anjanae Robinson (Norfolk State), and Zennia Thomas (Howard). 

The 2025 MEAC Basketball Tournament is set for March 11-14, 2026, at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va. 

2025-26 MEAC Women's Basketball Preseason Predicted Order of Finish 

1. Howard (10) – 118 pts 
2. Norfolk State (4) – 107 pts 
3. Maryland Eastern Shore – 93 pts 
4. North Carolina Central (1) – 68 pts 
5. Morgan State – 62 pts 
6. Coppin State – 60 pts 
7. Delaware State – 41 pts 
8. South Carolina State (1) – 27 pts 

• Ja'la Bannerman, Morgan State 
• Morgan Callahan, North Carolina Central 
• Nile Miller, Howard 
• Anjanae Robinson, Norfolk State 
• Zennia Thomas, Howard 

• Brianna Barnes, Maryland Eastern Shore 
• Da'Brya Clark, Norfolk State 
• Jasha Clinton, Norfolk State 
• Shakiria Foster, North Carolina Central * 
• Ericka Huggins, Delaware State 
• Ashanti Lynch, Maryland Eastern Shore * 

• Jael Butler, Morgan State 
• Aniya Finger, North Carolina Central 
• Aysia Hinton, North Carolina Central 
• Gabrielle Johnson, Morgan State 
• Jazmine Spencer, Norfolk State 

(*Denotes a tie)