Fresh off a trip to the NCAA Tournament and Round of 32, the Northern Michigan women’s basketball team has been picked to finish third in the GLIAC in 2024-25. Additionally, junior Jacy Weisbrod has been selected to the Preseason Second Team.
In two seasons guiding the Green and Gold, head coach Casey Thousand has accrued a record of 37-23 (.617), including a 22-10 clip last season in which NMU made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019 and defeated Kentucky Wesleyan to make the Round of 32. The Wildcats also hosted a game in the GLIAC Quarterfinals after finishing in third and made a run all the way to the conference title game. Thousand led a team that was top-two in the conference in defensive rebounding (28.0) and turnover margin (12.6) a year ago. The Wildcats averaged 66.4 points/game while allowing 60.1.
For the second consecutive season, Jordan Sweeney will accompany Thousand on the bench, this time in the role of Associate Head Coach.
On the hardwood, NMU will field a 17-player roster. Northern will have a big hole to fill in losing Makaylee Kuhn, a four-time All-GLIAC First Teamer and the program’s all-time leading scorer (2,005 points). In addition, All-Defensive center Ana Rhude has also graduated, meaning there will be multiple shoes to fill in the lineup. The leading candidate to step into NMU’s go-to scoring threat will be Jacy Weisbrod, who was selected to the GLIAC Preseason Second Team after earning those honors to end last year.
Jacy will look to be one of the most prolific scorers across the conference yet again after averaging 12.7 points/game (14.8/game in conference play) last season. She led the conference in three-point shooting, connecting on 92-217 (42.4%) triple attempts, with those 92 made threes ranking 6th in Division II. Weisbrod knocked down an astonishing nine triples and a career-high 29 points against Kentucky Wesleyan in the NCAA Tournament. Those nine threes tied an all-time program record for made threes in a game.
Along with Weisbrod, NMU returns four other guards with notable starting experience in CJ Romero, Mackenzie Holzwart, Sarah Newcomer, and Kayla Tierney. Romero made 10 starts while appearing in 28 contests, recording multiple assists in half of those. Holzwart started in 19 of 27 last season and averaged 6.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. Newcomer made 25 starts while appearing in all 32 games. She is the second highest returning scorer with 7.8 points/game. Tierney made 20 starts and also played in all 32, totaling over 100 points and 60 rebounds last year.
In the frontcourt, returners Abi Fraaza, Alyssa Nimz, and Braelyn Torres will all look to make a leap this season. Joining that trio will be Bemidji State transfer and UP native Alyssa Hill. The Negaunee, Michigan product started in 51 of 52 games with the Beavers, where she was named to the All-NSIC Second Team in 2023-24 after leading Bemidji in scoring (13.2 ppg).
Thousand adds a fairly sizable six-player freshmen class to this year’s group as well: Sydney Whitehouse, Addison Pytelski, Megan Marta, Madison Schroeder, Jordyn Schmittdiel, and Ava Bates. Whitehouse and Pytelski will add depth to Northern’s backcourt while Schroeder and Bates will deepen the post position.
The 2024-25 squad will be the first to play in a new home, as Vandament Arena, previously the exclusive home to NMU volleyball, has been renovated and will now be the stomping grounds for both basketball teams in addition to volleyball. The project created a larger court area, four-sided stadium seating for about 1,500, a modernized look, and two state-of-the-art scoreboards.
Northern will begin its regular season on November 8-9 at the JustAgame Crossover in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. On November 3, the Wildcats will host UW-Stevens Point in an exhibition in which the program will retire Lisa Jamula Maki’s #40 jersey, the first jersey to earn that distinction in program history.
