Fresh off one of the best seasons in program history in 2024-25, the Hillsdale College women's basketball team continued to compete at a high level in the 2025-26 campaign.

The Chargers racked up another winning season, Hillsdale's fourth straight, for the third-longest stretch of winning campaigns in program history. Hillsdale was nearly unbeatable at home, with an 11-1 record in Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena that only a 69-67 loss to G-MAC Champion and Midwest Regional finalist Northwood kept from a perfect mark.

Hillsdale's 15-12 record got the Chargers into the G-MAC Tournament for the fourth consecutive season as the five seed, where the Chargers came up just short of upsetting host Walsh in the quarterfinal in a 62-56 contest.

Along the way, Hillsdale had several special moments. The Chargers upset nationally-ranked and eventual NCAA regional semifinalist Malone on their home floor in a 61-54 victory on Jan. 3, and also snapped a 14-game losing streak to national power Ashland that had been intact for nearly 12 years with a thrilling 53-52 victory in the final minute.

Junior Savannah Smith was sensational in that game for the Chargers, recording a 27 point, 12 rebound double-double to set career-highs in both categories.  That was one of four 20-plus point games for Smith in the final 12 games of the season, as the junior went from a bench player early in the year while returning from injury to a star contributor and a first-team All-G-MAC player for Hillsdale.

She was joined on the first team by Annalise Pietrzyk, who led Hillsdale in scoring and had four 20-plus point games of her own as an offensive bellwether throughout the year for the Chargers. Pietrzyk led a Chargers guard group that was prolific from the 3-point line, shooting a G-MAC best 33.1% from deep with five players with 20 or more makes from beyond the arc while shooting 33.3% or better.

Senior Emma Ruhlman also had her best campaign as a Charger in her final season, finishing in the top 10 in the G-MAC and leading the team in rebounds per game, and also setting a new Hillsdale record for single-season free throw percentage with 94.6%.

Hillsdale will have holes to fill in the offseason with the departures of Ruhlman, back-up guard Payton Adkins and Pietrzyk, but the Chargers will have plenty of talent returning to plot another G-MAC title chase. The Chargers should have one of the best post tandems in the G-MAC with Smith and rising junior Ellie Bruce, who led Hillsdale in blocks in 2025-26, and also return wing Sarah Aleknavicius and guards Magdalena and Emilia Sularski, all sharpshooters who contributed heavily to the G-MAC's best 3-point shooting team. Maddie Smith played a big role for Hillsdale at guard as a freshman and returns as well, along with veteran and versatile forward Sydney Pnacek. 

The Chargers have a group of second year players who just got their feet wet this season who could make bigger contributions in 2026-27, including posts Addison Kincaid and Katie Graves, and forward Grace McKinney. Hillsdale also will look to its class of incoming freshmen for reinforcements as well, as that group should push for immediate playing time on next year's squad.