BOCA RATON, Fla. – With a renewed emphasis on defensive intensity, experienced leadership and an influx of talented newcomers, the Lynn University women's basketball team is looking to establish a new identity as the Fighting Knights prepare for the 2026-27 season.
 
Under the direction of head coach Julia Tucker, Lynn enters the new campaign looking to build upon last year's 14-15 overall record and 8-12 mark in Sunshine State Conference play. After navigating a season that featured seven freshmen, Tucker believes the addition of experienced transfers will help the Fighting Knights take another step forward.
 
"I knew last year going into it was going to be a little bit of a test because we had seven freshmen," Tucker said. "Going into this year, I didn't want to be that young, so we recruited a group of transfers this year instead. Bringing in some older kids with some more experience has already helped us."
 
With a more experienced roster and additional athleticism, Tucker has placed an emphasis on developing a tougher, more aggressive identity on both ends of the floor.
 
"We've talked about it a lot, and as a team, we want to play more aggressively on both ends this season and build a 'Dawg' mentality," Tucker said. "It all starts with pushing each other in practice daily and making sure we're all ready to get after it."
 
Beyond the court, Tucker also wants the Fighting Knights to embrace their role within the Boca Raton and Lynn communities, supporting others both on and off campus.
 
Leading the Fighting Knights into the new season is senior guard Trinity Mocadlo, who returns after earning All-SSC Second Team honors in 2025-26. Mocadlo started all 29 games last season, leading Lynn with 15.1 points and 2.9 assists per game while adding 4.9 rebounds per contest.
 
With additional scoring options surrounding her, Tucker believes Mocadlo will have an opportunity to showcase an even more complete game during her senior season.
 
"She's still going to be able to put the ball in the basket, but she has also been sharing the ball really well in practice, and I think this is helping with overall team chemistry and will spread out the scoring more this year," Tucker said.
 
Mocadlo will serve as a team captain alongside fellow senior Serena Baker, who appeared in 22 games with 15 starts last season, averaging 5.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest.
 
The Fighting Knights also return junior Katie Tiffan, who averaged 6.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, and sophomore Emily Jean-Glaude, who contributed 6.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest. Junior Karishma Ortiz and sophomores Dianka Hardisson and Phantasia Lauriston provide additional experience in the backcourt.
 
Another key returner is sophomore forward Tessa O'Leary, whose freshman season was limited to nine games. Despite the shortened campaign, O'Leary averaged 9.4 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 60 percent from the field.
 
"We couldn't be more excited to have Tessa back, just her energy alone helps spark us in practice every day," Tucker said. "I think her basketball IQ grew, and being able to come in for your first real freshman year with having that year under your belt can be huge."
 
Lynn also welcomes seven newcomers to its roster, including graduate transfer Mikenzie Jones, junior transfers Malayna Stevenson and Azjannie Culberth, and freshmen Jayah Peoples, Deborah Damoah, Aiyanna Smiley and Stephanie Vega.
 
Jones, a 6-foot-1 center from the University of Massachusetts, provides Lynn with an experienced interior presence and additional leadership.
 
"She's not only an amazing piece to fill in as a bigger center, but she's been an incredible leader because she's older," Tucker said. "Bringing in some insight and being kind of like mama bear to the team has been huge."
 
Stevenson arrives from Hillsborough Community College, while Culberth joins the Fighting Knights from Miami-Dade College. Both bring junior college experience and the defensive mentality Tucker hopes will define this year's team.
 
"After last year, thinking about the pace we want to play at and the defensive mindset we want to have, we had to bring in players that had that mentality already," Tucker said. "Malayna and Azjannie came from programs, both junior college programs, that are built off of that same mentality."
 
Among the freshmen, Damoah joins Hardisson as an option at point guard, while Vega has impressed Tucker with her ability to score at all three levels. Peoples and Smiley, both Jacksonville natives, bring additional depth and energy to the roster.
 
"Each player brings something totally different," Tucker said. "What I'm really excited about is watching how they're going to bring their own superpower to this year's team and build a really exciting culture and successful program."
 
While Lynn relied heavily on perimeter shooting last season, averaging 64.0 points and 7.2 three-pointers per game, Tucker expects the Fighting Knights to generate more offense through their defensive pressure and transition opportunities.
 
"We plan to play more aggressively this season, establishing a 'Dawg' mentality on both ends of the floor," Tucker said.
 
Ball security will also be an important point of emphasis after Lynn averaged 16.1 turnovers per game last season. Tucker hopes to reduce that number to approximately 14 or fewer while maintaining the team's faster pace.
 
"I don't want to hold them back, I want them to play with pace," Tucker said. "Now we're trying to hone in on the control piece, even if we play with pace, we have to make great decisions."
 
The Fighting Knights have already tested their new approach through preseason competition against Division I opponents Florida Gulf Coast and Miami, along with Palm Beach State. Tucker was encouraged by the team's competitiveness and consistency regardless of the opposition.
 
Lynn enters the season picked sixth in the SSC Preseason Coaches Poll after receiving 62 points. Embry-Riddle was selected first, followed by Tampa, Eckerd, Nova Southeastern and Florida Southern.
 
Tucker believes defensive consistency, rebounding and the team's ability to compete every night will be essential to climbing the conference standings.
 
"Our conference is hard every year, but I think even the new coaches in the league have brought another level of toughness to our conference," Tucker said. "Every night, we're going into a battle."
 
The Fighting Knights open the regular season on Monday, Nov. 9, hosting New College of Florida at 5:30 p.m. inside the de Hoernle Sports Center.
 
Lynn will then travel to Nashville, Tenn., for the GSC/SSC Crossover, facing Christian Brothers on Nov. 13 and Trevecca Nazarene on Nov. 14 before returning home to open SSC play against Palm Beach Atlantic on Wednesday, Nov. 18.
 
"We have an early start this year, of course, with conference play, so I think it's even more important this year that we establish our identity even earlier," Tucker said.
 
Additional schedule highlights include home conference matchups against Tampa (Dec. 5), Embry-Riddle (Jan. 2), Eckerd (Jan. 16) and Nova Southeastern (Feb. 17). Lynn will also host its annual Holiday Classic on Dec. 19-20 before concluding the regular season against Florida Southern on Feb. 27.
 
As the Fighting Knights prepare for opening night, Tucker remains optimistic about the team's chemistry, coachability and potential to improve throughout the season.
 
"I hope I still feel like I do today, that every single day we're getting a little bit better," Tucker said. "This group is such great listeners. They're coachable, they're ready to play whatever role they're asked to play, and I couldn't have asked for a better group so far."
 
With a shared commitment to playing aggressively, competing for one another and embracing their new identity, the Fighting Knights hope to carry that mentality into the postseason.
 
"At the end of March, I want to say we're playing our best basketball," Tucker said.