LARAMIE, Wyo. (Sept. 21, 2026) – The Wyoming Cowgirls officially began the 2026-27 season with their first official day of practice Monday afternoon. Wyoming enters year five of the Heather Ezell Era and will have plenty of new faces this season.
The Cowgirls welcome in nine newcomers to the 2026-27 squad, including three freshmen and six transfer student-athletes. Freshmen Zoey Blackwell (Caldwell, Idaho), Karly Davis (Buffalo, Wyo.) and Taylor Donaldson (Albany, Ore.) enter their first seasons of collegiate basketball. UW also welcomes transfers Jersey Berg (Williston State), Norah Clark (UT Martin), Kaylan Deveney (Rider), Hayley Johnson (San Jose City College), Merceius Mili (Utah Tech) and Ophelia Powell (CSU Bakersfield) who bring in a wealth of collegiate experience.
Wyoming returns six letterwinners from last season, including a pair of starters in Payton Muma and Jane Rumpf. Rumpf was a 2026 All-Mountain West Freshman Team honoree after her first campaign with the Brown & Gold. Rumpf was one of four Cowgirls to appear in all 30 games last season and made 18 starts while averaging 7.4 points and a team-high 4.6 rebounds per game. Rumpf was second in the Mountain West last season averaging 1.3 blocks per game and during league play, led the conference with 1.6 blocks and 2.4 3-pointers per contest. Muma, meanwhile, also appeared in all 30 games and made 23 starts. She led the Cowgirls with 79 assists in 2025-26 and was second on the squad with 27 steals. Muma averaged 3.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
Also returning this season after missing the last with an injury is Kati Ollilainen. Ollilainen played in all 34 games in 2024-25 as a sophomore. The Finland native averaged 3.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game two seasons ago. In conference play in '24-'25, Ollilainen's averages bumped up to 4.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per. Liv Blomkvist, Katie Harrington and Peyton Wohlford are also back for their sophomore campaigns this season.
UW will host a pair of exhibitions this season, beginning with an October 26 contest against Colorado Christian. The Cowgirls' second exhibition will be Oct. 30 against South Dakota Mines. The 2026-27 season officially tips November 2 as Santa Clara comes to Laramie.
Ticket Information
Fans may order new season tickets online, via email or by phone at:
•Go to GoWyo.com/tickets
•Email tickets@uwyo.edu
•Call (307) 766-7220
•Stop by the UW Athletics Ticket Office on the West Side of the Arena-Auditorium on the corner of Willett Drive and 19th Street.
Watch Wyoming Athletics all season long on the MW+ with all UW home games and all MW conference games on the state-of-the-art app. Fans will also find replays of games, Ragtime Replays featuring great contests in Wyoming history along with other exclusive content. A majority of each subscription purchased through Wyoming's dedicated page will directly support Wyoming Athletics and the Cowboy Joe Club, creating a scalable and sustainable revenue opportunity aligned with fan engagement.
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