HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University women's basketball team added six new faces to the Panthers locker room, announced by Head Coach Wyatt Foust. The six new Panthers were ranked No. 5 women's basketball mid-major portal class for the 2026-27 season by ON3. From the 2026-27 Big South Champion team, seven have come back this year including Cheyenne Brand, Sanai Cole, Chana Paxixe, Dakota Phillips, Brecken Snotherly, Sky Donaie, and Peyton Gerdes. 

"When you have special seasons you typically know early on you have a chance to be special.," Foust said. "This group has all the hallmarks of a team with a bright future. We are extremely talented and the talent has been exceeded by their work ethic and togetherness. If we can build continuity fast and stay healthy there is no ceiling for us."

The newcomers: 

#00 Juliann Woodard, Jr., 6'0, Stretch Forward
Woodard is a junior transfer from Michigan State University who appeared in 39 games for the Spartans during her freshman and sophomore seasons. During her sophomore year, she averaged 3.7 points per game (ppg), totaling 95 points while adding 10 steals. In her freshman season, she averaged 5.7 ppg totaling 74 points, with two steals. Woodard was also an Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
 
#1 Taylor Feldman, Gr., 5'8, Point Guard
Feldman is a graduate student who spent her undergraduate seasons at Purdue University and Northern Arizona University. She played her senior year at Purdue starting in seven games off the bench where she tallied 6.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and had a season high of 16 points against Miami (OH). While at Northern Arizona she was named First Team All-Big Sky her junior year. Overall, she appeared in 101 games, started in 43, totaled 888 points - averaged of 8.8 per game - and had 71 steals.
 
#3 Rylee Bess, So., 5'6, Guard
Bess is a sophomore coming from Purdue University Fort Wayne who played in all 35 games with 17 starts and was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team. She totaled 310 points with an average of 8.9 per game, and added 47 steals. She posted a season-high 27 points at Northern Kentucky and was named a two-time Horizon League Freshman of the Week.
 
#11 Gabby Morash, Fr., 5'6, Point Guard
Morash comes from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada where she played at Kings Christian Collegiate. She is the only true freshman to be added to the team for the 2026-27 season. She played club for Kia Nurse 17U EYBL and played in the All-Canadian Girls game where she claimed 10 points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals for team red ACG26.
 
#23 Meredith Tippner, So., 5'10, Combo Guard
Tippner is a sophomore coming from the University of Miami playing 32 games her first year. She averaged 1.7 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. While at Miami, Tippner totaled 20 steals and 41 rebounds. She finished her season with 19 points against Wake Forest posting three triples, shooting 85.7 percent from the field.
 
#24 Khloe Lemon, Gr., 5'9, Shooting Guard
Lemon is a graduate student who joins the Panthers from California Baptist University. She played in 69 games, including 30 starts during her three years playing for the Lancers. Overall, Lemon had 851 points, averaging 12.3 per game, along with 37 steals. In her freshman season, she was part of the first women's basketball team to make the NCAA Tournament at CBU and was named to the All-WAC Freshman Team. During her sophomore season, Lemon was named All-WAC Second team and scored her career-high 39 points on 11. She made threes for the highest single scoring game in the DI Era for CBU, and had the most threes made in a single game in program history. During her junior season, she was named the WAC 6th Player of the Year after leading the conference in points off the bench.

The Returners:

#2 Cheyenne Brand, So., 6'0, Forward
2025-26 Season:
Brand played in nine games in her rookie season with her collegiate debut being at home vs Johnson C. Smith (11/3). She scored her first collegiate point against Radford (1/10).

#4 Sanai Cole, So., 5'7, Guard
2025-26 Season:
Cole redshirted her freshman year with the Panthers.

#5 Chana Paxixe, Gr., 5'8, Forward
2025-26 Season: 
Paxixe played in 33 games, making one start. She averaged 19.9 minutes, 6.5 points, and 4.9 rebounds per game. Paxixe recorded a career-best 17 points vs Wofford (11/8) and pulled in a career-high 10 rebounds vs UVA Wise (12/1). She had 18 games with five or more rebounds. Her season highlight was when she scored seven points in the NCAA Tournament (3/21).

#6 Dakota Phillips, Jr., 5'9, Guard
2025-26 Season:
Philliips played in 13 games and in a game vs Garnder-Webb (1/21) she knocked down a three pointer.

#7 Brecken Snotherly, Sr., 5'10, Combo Guard
2025-26 Season:
Snotherly played in all 33 games, making 27 starts. She averaged 22.1 minutes, 5.2 points, and 4.4 rebounds per game. She scored a season-high 14 points at Charleston Southern (1/28) and pulled in a career-high 12 rebounds vs Charleston Southern (2/14). she started the season off with a career-high six assists vs Merrimack (11/12).

#21 Sky Donaie, So., 6'1, Forward
2025-26 Season:
Donaie did not record any stats last season 

#33 Peyton Gerdes, R-So., 6'0, Small Forward
2025-26 Season:
Gerdes played in 32 games, making one start for the Panthers. She averaged 6.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 17.6 minutes per game. Gerdes recorded a career-high 20 points at UNC Asheville (2/18) and went 6-for-6 at the free throw line vs Winthrop (2/4). A season highlight was Gerdes scoring 12 points, and a career-high seven rebounds in the Big South semifinals (3/7).