The UW Oshkosh women’s basketball team heads into the 2025-26 season coming off of its first Final Four appearance since 1996.
Knowing what it takes to get there and what they need to do to go one step further is something that the team has been thinking about and working on since the summer.
“We’re super excited to get back on the court and chase another title,” senior guard Kate Huml said. “Our expectations are high, and our goal is to reach the final game of the year. We stay motivated knowing how tough our division and conference is, and we understand what it takes to reach the top.”
Last season, UWO not only made its first Final Four since 1996, the Titans are also coming off of their second straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season title, where they finished the regular season with a 22-3 record (11-3 WIAC).
A big part in that was the contributions of the senior class led by Kayce Vaile. Even though the team has a lot of returning players, the Titans know that the returning players need to step up in the absence that the past season’s senior class left behind.
“We are an older and more experienced team, so we know what it takes to succeed in the WIAC,” senior Avery Poole said. “It will be important that all of us upperclassmen set the tone and show the younger players the hard work and dedication that it takes to be on this team.”
This season, UWO will have guard Bridget Froehlke return to the team after missing the 2024-25 season with an injury. Froehlke was tied for the team’s second leading scorer in 2023-24 with 314 total points. A big part of that was her leading the team with 81 three-point shots.
“I’m not sure there are even words to describe how excited I am to be back on the court this season,” Froehlke said. “Last year, I got to redefine my role and embrace the opportunity to learn from a new perspective and lead from the sidelines. Now, it feels amazing to be back on the court with my best friends. I’m trying to soak in every moment, not take a single day for granted and really enjoy the journey we’re on together.”
Another key player returning this season is sophomore forward Paige Seckar. Last season, Seckar averaged 6.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.8 blocks. She also scored in double digits in six of her 32 games played, along with two double-doubles. This helped earn her WIAC Newcomer of the Year, along with D3hoops.com Region Co-Rookie of the Year awards.
As much as Seckar means to the team, she knows that the team means a lot to her and is ready to contribute to the team again.
“This team means a lot to me, and it is a privilege to be able to work with my teammates every day,” Seckar said. “I am going to do everything I can to help this team get ready for the postseason and make a run in March. With a year of experience under my belt, I hope to play a big role in making this team everything we know we can be.”
Coming into this season knowing that they were one game away from making the National Championship, the players that are returning to the team this year have made getting back to the Final Four and ending the season with the trophy a goal from day one.
“I think we learned a lot from that game and what we can all do to get a little better to take us farther this season,” Poole said.
Seckar said the team left the Final Four last season feeling dissatisfied, and they carry the weight of that every day.
“We hold each other to a high standard, and we know how important it is to take every rep at game speed and with high precision,” Seckar said. “We know how hard it is to make it deep into the postseason, but we plan to show up when the time comes.”
The first step in the Titans replicating and going a step better from their success last season is winning a third straight WIAC regular season title and closing out the WIAC Tournament with a tournament title. Despite only two teams from the WIAC being ranked in the preseason D3Hoops.com top 25 (UWO No. 3 and UWL No. 15), five of the eight WIAC teams, including the Titans, made the NCAA Division III tournament last season, with UW-Stout also joining the Titans in the Final Four. UW-River Falls, which was the first WIAC team to miss the tournament, upset both the Titans and Blue Devils in the regular season.
“The WIAC is such a great conference that we will have to approach every team the same,” Huml said. “We have high expectations for ourselves, but we know it won’t be a walk in the park. Each team will give us a different challenge, but the ultimate goal is to win the conference title and tournament.
The team knows that, despite the challenges that being in the WIAC brings, it is a great opportunity with the level of competition that the conference features, and the Titans know that the conference will test them for postseason time.
“Every game tests us in different ways, whether it’s facing high-level players or being pushed to execute under pressure,” Froehlke said. “Playing in such a strong conference challenges us every night, and that experience makes us more prepared and confident when we reach the postseason.”
The Titans will have had an exhibition game against NCAA Division I Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa on Oct. 28. Results of that game can be found at uwoshkoshtitans.com
UWO’s regular season will begin on Nov. 7-8 as the Titans will travel to De Pere to compete in the St. Norbert College National Bank Tip-Off Tournament. UWO will begin the tournament on Nov. 7 with a game against Carroll College at 5 p.m. Then, on Nov. 8, the Titans will face the University of Chicago (Illinois) with tip-off for that game set at 1 p.m.
