Women’s Basketball Chosen to Close Eighth in the CACC

10/22/2025 12:00:00 AM

Goldey-Beacom's women's basketball squad has been picked to finish eighth in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference based on a vote of the league's coaches.

In a change this season, each team faces each conference opponent twice with the North and South Divisions eliminated. Eight teams still will go to the conference tournament with the quarterfinals on March 3 and championship weekend March 7-8 in Caldwell, NJ.

An impact player teams always scout is senior guard Rory Ciszkowski (Wilmington, DE), one of the purest shooters the program has produced. A third team all-conference pick in 2023-24, Ciszkowski last season ended first in the CACC with 87 three-pointers and second with .429 three point percentage.

Ciszkowski enters this season first in school history with 227 career 3-pointers, 12th with 995 points and 10th with a .423 field goal percentage.

Sophomore Lydia Betz (Pittsburgh, PA) is back and once again will provide the shooting mentality of a guard, the inside presence of a forward and the intensity of a center. She played 29 games last season with 23 starts, providing a .471 field goal percentage and this season should get more than the 121 attempts she had last season.

Senior Gaia Zimbardo (Parma, Italy) is a forward who last season gave the Lightning key minutes off the bench and should see her playing time go way up from the 9.5 minutes per game in 2024-25. Senior Karlee Lemon (Williamsburg, VA) for three seasons has been a solid player at guard and again will be a key factor this season.

Junior Genesis Garcia (Aguada, PR), Janie Cross (West Deptford, NJ) and fellow sophomore Marasia Dyes (Binghamton, NY) are three guards who last season saw limited playing time, but that certainly will change this season. Freshmen Kato Van Heuverbeke (Waregem, Belgium) and Amber Furtado (Deerfield, NH) join the team seeking to play big minutes at forward.

Goldey-Beacom last season overcame injuries to make the CACC Tournament in consecutive years for the first time in a decade.

GBC got in the tournament on the heels of a 78-77 overtime victory February 15 at Georgian Court to avoid elimination, followed by a 71-68 upset seven days later of No. 20 Holy Family. The squad then punched its ticket with an 86-64 triumph March 1 at local-rival Wilmington (DE).

Goldey-Beacom also saw eight make the CACC All-Academic Team and the squad picked to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division II Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll.

GBC opens the season November 14 against the District of Columbia.

2025-26 CACC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll

1.	Holy Family (7)	96 pts.
2.	Jefferson (3)	91
3.	Caldwell (1)	80
4.	Dominican	65
5.	Chestnut Hill	60
	Felician	60
7.	Post	53
8.	Goldey-Beacom	42
9.	Georgian Court	26
10.	Bridgeport	22
11.	Wilmington	10

First-place votes in parentheses

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