Fresh Faces Abound For Skyhawks in 2025-26
10/31/2025 10:21:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team will have a very different look than last season when it takes to the court Nov. 3 at North Alabama for its season opener. The Skyhawks have just four returners this season and nine newcomers.
"For us to be successful this season, it's going to take figuring out the process daily," said head coach Kevin McMillan. "I'm looking forward to seeing what the culture can do for a program, compared to what it has been."
Returning for UT Martin this season are Norah Clark, Mikayla Lambert, Kenlye McCarn and Yar Tong. Of those, only McCarn and Clark played last season, as Lambert and Tong sat out due to injury.
Clark returns for her junior season after playing in 27 games with nine starts a season ago. The Springfield, Missouri native averaged 4.7 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 15.1 minutes per game. Clark led the Skyhawks last season in 3-point percentage at 37.5, in addition to shooting 43.4-percent from the floor and 78.1-percent from the free throw line. She scored in double figures in three games last season, including a season-high 17 at Lindenwood.
McCarn was named to the All-OVC second team for her play during the 2025-26 season. She played and started all 32 games for the Skyhawks, averaging 13.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals over 33.4 minutes per game. The Melbourne, Arkansas native shot 39.0-percent from the floor, 27.4-percent from 3-point range and a team-best 93.8% from the free throw line. McCarn reached double-digit scoring in 23 games and scored 20 or more points in seven of those contests. She tied her career-high of eight rebounds in three games and scored a season-high 24 points twice.
Joining the Skyhawks this season are junior college transfers Brittani Wells and Zy Thompson, freshmen Sidney Blackwell, Kennedy Horton, Sidni Middleton, Cam Ward and Nyjha Webster, as well as Division I transfers Grace Billington from Murray State and Destinee Wells from Tennessee and Belmont.
"In this new world of transfer portal and NIL, getting a team to mesh quickly will be a priority for everyone," said McMillan. For us, it usually takes a while for players to get acclimated and understand how we do things. Usually, the upper class helps the newcomers. Doing it that way is now harder on those newcomers and coaches because we are typically outnumbered. I think this group likes each other and gets along, which is the first step. Now we must get them all to buy in and collectively take ownership of their roles in the program and understand what playing hard, being disciplined, being a great teammate and holding ourselves accountable means. Hopefully, after Christmas, we will be in good shape."
The non-conference portion of the schedule will see a mix of opponents, tough road games and the return of one of the most storied programs in all of college basketball to the Elam Center.
On Nov. 9, the Skyhawks will host eighth-ranked Tennessee, fresh off a Sweet 16 appearance last season, in the Pat Summitt Heritage Classic, a game intended to honor the legendary figure between her alma mater and the school where she carved her coaching legacy. Other home games for the Skyhawks this season include Fisk (Nov. 16), Oakwood (Nov. 30) and Champion Christian (Dec. 14.)
This year's road trips for UT Martin are highlighted by a swing through the Southwest, where the Skyhawks will take on New Mexico (Nov. 20) and UTEP (Nov. 22). On Dec. 4, the Skyhawks will visit 2025 WNIT qualifier Lipscomb, followed by a trip to the defending Sun Belt champions, Arkansas State, on Dec. 6.
"We are anxious to see how this year's non-conference schedule goes," said McMillan. "We have a variety of styles this year that should get us ready for the teams in the conference. It is a much more balanced slate and hopefully will serve us well come March."
Following the non-conference portion of its schedule, the Skyhawks will enter their 20-game OVC schedule, a race that McMillan believes is wide open.
"This season, as the landscape of college basketball changes, is wide open," said McMillan. "I think by Christmas, everyone is going to have an identity, but I think with the way things are, it's going to take a while for everyone to get going, so it will be an interesting January and February."
"For us to be successful this season, it's going to take figuring out the process daily," said head coach Kevin McMillan. "I'm looking forward to seeing what the culture can do for a program, compared to what it has been."
Returning for UT Martin this season are Norah Clark, Mikayla Lambert, Kenlye McCarn and Yar Tong. Of those, only McCarn and Clark played last season, as Lambert and Tong sat out due to injury.
Clark returns for her junior season after playing in 27 games with nine starts a season ago. The Springfield, Missouri native averaged 4.7 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 15.1 minutes per game. Clark led the Skyhawks last season in 3-point percentage at 37.5, in addition to shooting 43.4-percent from the floor and 78.1-percent from the free throw line. She scored in double figures in three games last season, including a season-high 17 at Lindenwood.
McCarn was named to the All-OVC second team for her play during the 2025-26 season. She played and started all 32 games for the Skyhawks, averaging 13.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals over 33.4 minutes per game. The Melbourne, Arkansas native shot 39.0-percent from the floor, 27.4-percent from 3-point range and a team-best 93.8% from the free throw line. McCarn reached double-digit scoring in 23 games and scored 20 or more points in seven of those contests. She tied her career-high of eight rebounds in three games and scored a season-high 24 points twice.
Joining the Skyhawks this season are junior college transfers Brittani Wells and Zy Thompson, freshmen Sidney Blackwell, Kennedy Horton, Sidni Middleton, Cam Ward and Nyjha Webster, as well as Division I transfers Grace Billington from Murray State and Destinee Wells from Tennessee and Belmont.
"In this new world of transfer portal and NIL, getting a team to mesh quickly will be a priority for everyone," said McMillan. For us, it usually takes a while for players to get acclimated and understand how we do things. Usually, the upper class helps the newcomers. Doing it that way is now harder on those newcomers and coaches because we are typically outnumbered. I think this group likes each other and gets along, which is the first step. Now we must get them all to buy in and collectively take ownership of their roles in the program and understand what playing hard, being disciplined, being a great teammate and holding ourselves accountable means. Hopefully, after Christmas, we will be in good shape."
The non-conference portion of the schedule will see a mix of opponents, tough road games and the return of one of the most storied programs in all of college basketball to the Elam Center.
On Nov. 9, the Skyhawks will host eighth-ranked Tennessee, fresh off a Sweet 16 appearance last season, in the Pat Summitt Heritage Classic, a game intended to honor the legendary figure between her alma mater and the school where she carved her coaching legacy. Other home games for the Skyhawks this season include Fisk (Nov. 16), Oakwood (Nov. 30) and Champion Christian (Dec. 14.)
This year's road trips for UT Martin are highlighted by a swing through the Southwest, where the Skyhawks will take on New Mexico (Nov. 20) and UTEP (Nov. 22). On Dec. 4, the Skyhawks will visit 2025 WNIT qualifier Lipscomb, followed by a trip to the defending Sun Belt champions, Arkansas State, on Dec. 6.
"We are anxious to see how this year's non-conference schedule goes," said McMillan. "We have a variety of styles this year that should get us ready for the teams in the conference. It is a much more balanced slate and hopefully will serve us well come March."
Following the non-conference portion of its schedule, the Skyhawks will enter their 20-game OVC schedule, a race that McMillan believes is wide open.
"This season, as the landscape of college basketball changes, is wide open," said McMillan. "I think by Christmas, everyone is going to have an identity, but I think with the way things are, it's going to take a while for everyone to get going, so it will be an interesting January and February."
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