Penn has lost some women’s basketball standouts, but the Quakers see change as a good thing

Stina Almqvist is no stranger to change.

In her fourth season as a guard on Penn’s women’s basketball team, she has seen top players come and go. Some have left through graduation, while others have exited via the NCAA’s transfer portal, which continues to attract talented players looking for greener pastures or the opportunity to play during their graduate year, something the Ivy League still has yet to allow.

In the last two seasons, Penn saw All-Ivy guard Kayla Padilla transfer to USC, and at the end of last season, it graduated guard Jordan Obi, a 1,000-point scorer who collected All-Ivy honors, leaving a noticeable void in the points department.

» READ MORE: Penn’s basketball success is hinged on the lessons learned from last season

As a senior this season, Almqvist knows she is next up in the ever-evolving roster change that seems to happen one way or another.

“Jordan obviously was a tremendous player and the same with Kayla,” Almqvist said during Ivy League media day earlier this month. “[But] I think that’s just like how college is. It’s just like we found a way to play without Kayla, we’re going to find a way to play without Jordan, the same way as this team is going to find a way to play without [me] next year.”

So instead of looking at what’s lost, Almqvist says she’s focusing on what’s gained: She is a team leader who averaged 15.3 points last season and Penn has an emerging star in sophomore guard Mataya Gayle. The reigning Ivy League rookie of the year and Almqvist look to improve on last year’s 15-13 record (7-7 Ivy).

“Mataya is just super,” said Almqvist, a native of Sweden. “She’s one of the hardest-working players on our team for sure. But also, she’s super devoted to this team, so I’m just excited to see her in action this year, and I think it’ll be even better than last year.”

One constant for the Quakers has been the leadership of coach Mike McLaughlin, now entering his 15th season, the longest-tenured head coach in Ivy League basketball. Like Almqvist, McLaughlin shared his excitement about having a roster with Gayle on it, but more importantly, a collective entering the season “with the right mindset.”

“Any time we start a season, it’s just the excitement of growing and building and watching, you know, juniors become seniors and their leadership skills growing throughout the process,” McLaughlin said, referring to his senior duo in Almqvist and guard Lizzy Groetsch. “We’ve progressed over the last month at a pace that I’m really excited about, so I’m excited to see what’s in store and enjoying the ride and the process with this group.”

He admitted it’s going to be a “process” without the likes of Obi, but fortunately for the Quakers, they open their schedule with several games that should help them ease into it. They open against Merrimack at home on Nov. 8 (2 p.m., ESPN+), the first of three games within their first four that they’ll play inside the Palestra, including Big 5 tournament pod play against St. Joseph’s on Nov. 15 (4:30 p.m., NBCSP).

Also a part of the process? Penn features six first-year players and seven upperclassmen, mixing young, inexperienced talent with leaders who know what to expect. While some may see that as a challenge, it’s all a part of change, one that the Quakers hope is for the better.

“I love when players graduate and they leave their mark on the program,” McLaughlin said. “Stina and Lizzy will do that here at Penn. But [this season], we have a nice mix. We have a good group of freshmen and sophomores [who] are really growing daily, and they have two role models to look up to. I don’t know, I think that’s pretty special.”

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