March Madness: 10 players with Long Island ties in the NCAA women's basketball tournament

Meet the 10 women’s basketball players with Long Island ties who will compete in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Meghan Andersen, Fairfield

The Wantagh native, who played for Our Lady of Mercy, is headed back to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. The sophomore guard/forward is averaging 15.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. Andersen was named an All-MAAC first-team selection this season. She scored a game-high 27 points in a 76-53 win over Quinnipiac in the MAAC Tournament championship game.

First game: The MAAC champions are the 12th seed in Spokane Region 4 and will play No. 5 Kansas State on Friday at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky.

Raiana Brown, Fairfield

The graduate student from Wheatley Heights, who played for North Babylon High School, was named the MAAC Sixth Player of the Year this season. The guard/forward has appeared in 30 games this season — all as a reserve — and is averaging 8.0 points and 3.8 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game.

First game: The MAAC champions are the 12th seed in Spokane Region 4 and will play No. 5 Kansas State on Friday at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky.

JeAnna Cunningham, Alabama

The graduate student from Brentwood, who played for St. Francis Prep during her high school career, returns to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season with the Crimson Tide. The 6-5 center is averaging 2.5 points and 2.6 rebounds in 30 games, including one start.

First game: Fifth-seeded Alabama will play No. 12 Green Bay in Birmingham Region 2 at the XFINITY Center in College Park, Maryland, on Saturday.

Kayleigh Heckel, USC

The freshman guard, who played for Long Island Lutheran, has appeared in 30 games this season, including seven as a starter, for the Trojans. Heckel is averaging 5.8 points, 1.8 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 16.5 minutes per game.

First game: The top-seeded Trojans will play No. 16 UNC Greensboro in Spokane Region 4 on Saturday at the Galen Center in Los Angeles.

Kate Koval, Notre Dame

The former Long Island Lutheran star, who was Newsday’s Player of the Year in her junior and senior seasons, has played in 29 games this season for the Irish, including 10 starts. The freshman forward is averaging 5.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

First game: The third-seeded Irish will play No. 14 Stephen F. Austin in Birmingham Region 3 on Friday at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Indiana. A win by Notre Dame could mean Koval will play former Long Island Lutheran teammate Syla Swords and Michigan in the second round.

Olivia Medford, High Point

The junior guard from Rockville Centre played for Long Island Lutheran. She started her collegiate career at Monroe College and then transferred to Indiana State but never played a game for the Sycamores because of injury. She has appeared in 14 games in her first season for High Point.

First game: The Big South champions will play CAA champion William & Mary in a First Four game for the No. 16 seed in Birmingham Region 3. The game will be played on Thursday at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Remi Sisselman, Lehigh

The graduate student from Melville played for Half Hollow Hills East High School. She played 61 games for Bucknell before transferring to Lehigh. The guard/forward has appeared in 32 games this season, including one start. She scored 11 points and grabbed three rebounds in the Patriot League Tournament championship game, a 74-62 win over Army. Sisselman is averaging 2.5 points per game this season.

First game: The Patriot League champions, seeded No. 15, will play No. 2 Duke in Birmingham Region 2 at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, on Friday.

Kaylene Smikle, Maryland

The junior guard from Bay Shore was selected to the All-Big Ten first team by the media and the All-Big Ten second team by the coaches. Smikle is averaging 17.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 steals in 28 games — all starts — this season. Smikle started her college career at Rutgers before transferring to Maryland.

First game: The Terps, seeded No. 4, will play No. 13 Norfolk State in Birmingham Region 2 at the XFINITY Center in College Park, Maryland, on Saturday.

Syla Swords, Michigan

The freshman guard, who starred for Long Island Lutheran, has started 31 games and is averaging 16.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Swords scored 27 points against then-No. 5 South Carolina and 30 points against then-No. 4 UCLA this season. Swords made the All-Big Ten second team and the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, and she was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team.

First game: The sixth-seeded Wolverines play the winner of No. 11 Iowa State or Princeton in Birmingham Region 3 on Friday at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Indiana. A win by Michigan could mean Swords will play former Long Island Lutheran teammate Kate Koval and Notre Dame in the second round.

Riley Weiss, Columbia

The sophomore guard from Hewlett was named first team All-Ivy this season. Weiss is averaging 17.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 steals in 29 games — all starts — for the Lions. Weiss finished the regular season second in the Ivy League in scoring and first in three-pointers made (83). She was named to the Ivy League All-Tournament Team.

First game: The Lions will play Washington for the No. 11 seed in Birmingham Region 2 in a First Four game on Thursday at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

*Janelle Brown, a graduate student from Middle Island and former Longwood High School star, tore an ACL during a game in December and will not play in the NCAA Tournament for Fairfield. Brown averaged 8.3 points in eight games this season.