Cowgirl Basketball's Returning Players Will Be Key Next Season

OSU's roster will look pretty similar next season.

Mar 23, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Jacie Hoyt in the first half against the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Cowgirl basketball is in good shape for the future.

The Oklahoma State Cowgirls didn’t reach their ultimate goal of a championship, but they had a successful season. The Pokes ended the year 24-10 and ended the regular season fourth in the Big 12. 

This secured the Cowgirls an eight seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they matched up against the Princeton Tigers. The first round was no sweat for OSU, with Oklahoma State winning 82-68. This set up the Pokes for a second-round matchup against the No. 1 seed UCLA Bruins. 

This matchup did not go as planned for the Cowgirls, as their season came to a close with an 87-68 loss to the Bruins. The book might be closed on the Cowgirls’ 2025-26 season, but thankfully, a lot of familiar faces will be back for next season. 

OSU only had two key seniors on its roster this season in Micah Gray and Haleigh Timmer. Both will be hard to replace, with Timmer averaging 11.5 points per game and shooting 41.8% from three, as well as Gray being the leading scorer on the team, averaging 13.6 points. 

Even though these were two key players on the Cowgirls roster, the rest of the solid lineup is still there. The second Cowgirl leading scorer, Jadyn Wooten, will be entering her junior year and will be expected to keep up her prominent scoring role. 

Acol Akot and Stailee Heard will both be entering their senior year and will be expected to be two of the leaders on the Cowgirls roster. Akot led the Pokes in rebounds, averaging 7.2 a game, as well as leading the team in blocks. 

Heard will be expected to make a jump next year, as this past season was a regression compared to her sophomore year. However, she has showcased that she has the ability to be the best player on the floor, and the Pokes are hoping to see that every game next year. 

Another senior Cowgirl will be Amari Whiting. Whiting was a solid defensive presence, averaging 1.8 steals a game, and gave OSU a scoring bump, averaging 9.6 points per game. 

An emerging young star for the Cowgirls is Lena Girardi. Girardi will be entering her sophomore year with valuable playing time as a freshman. She set the OSU freshman record for threes in a game when she hit nine against Langston. Girardi will most likely be given a bigger role next year and will need to be up to the challenge. 

Next season might be a long way away, but with how many returning key players the Cowgirls have, they will be more than ready to hit the ground running.