With graduation right around the corner, here are the best graduating women’s student-athletes in the Class of 2025.

Women’s basketball — Stina Almqvist

The hallowed halls of the Palestra will never be the same after senior guard Stina Almqvist walks across the stage.

Almqvist came across the pond from Sweden and landed in the new area of Philadelphia. Over the years, she progressed from a new face on the team and freshman still getting her bearings to a senior captain and a member of the 1,000-point club.

During her freshman and sophomore seasons, she gained respectable minutes on the bench on a team led by senior guards like Kayla Padilla, who graduated in the Class of 2023. But after the Class of 2023’s graduation, Almqvist moved into a bigger role on the team. She went from averaging 3.4 points per game to 15.3 points per game within one year as she became one of the team’s primary scorers. Her breakout season as a junior earned her a second-team All-Ivy mention, which was her first All-Ivy mark of her career.

The level of consistency and new career highs put her on the road to 1,000 points. And this past season, she did just that, becoming the 26th player in program history to achieve that milestone. Her continued excellence during her senior year, including 17.7 points per game and seven double-doubles in the season, earned her a first-team All-Ivy and first-team All-Big 5 mentions to cap off her time with the Red and Blue.

Softball — Payton Bean

Senior right-handed pitcher Payton Bean was a consistent leader for the Quakers’ softball team. She won Ivy League Rookie of the Week in February 2022 after appearing in 19 games and pitching a 4-0 shutout. From there, Bean would throw a complete game shutout in 2024. She led the Red and Blue in wins and also starred in a career-high 15 games this season. From the 2022 season onwards, the Quaker softball team finished with an all-time record of 34 wins and 132 losses. 

Gymnastics — Emma Davies 

Senior gymnast Emma Davies, hailing from Sweden, has been a consistent contributor for the Quakers throughout her collegiate career. In her four years as a Quaker, Davies helped her team complete four straight Gymnastics Eastern Conference championships – a Penn program record. 

During her four campaigns, Davies earned a multitude of All-Ivy Classic and All-GEC bids for her efforts, rotating through vault and bars while being a mainstay in floor competition throughout her career. In her final year, she scored a career and season-high of 9.925 on floor exercise at George Washington, the top event score of the year for the Quakers. 

Few athletes get to be as successful as Davies over a four-year period, and as one of the greatest generations of Penn gymnasts don their caps and gowns, Davies will surely be missed in the coming years of competition. 

Track and field — Jocelyn Niemiec

Senior sprinter Jocelyn Niemiec, known amongst her peers for her effortless confidence, has been the definition of consistency ever since she stepped onto Franklin Field in her freshman year. As a first year, she placed first in the 4×400-meter relay three times, hard-launching a tradition in what would become one of her signature events. 

Niemiec has only grown faster throughout her years at Penn, eventually breaking the program records for both the indoor and outdoor 4×400 relay and simultaneously breaking Ivy League all-meet records that have stood since 2023 and 2016, respectively. She also ranks second in the Penn record book for the indoor 500-meter and third for both the indoor and outdoor 400-meter. 

While Niemiec certainly is capable of finding success on her own, she is strongest when surrounded by her relay teammates. The proof is in the pudding, as she is a three-time NCAA Championships qualifier in the outdoor 4×400 (2022, 2023, and 2024) and a three-time Ivy League Heptagonal Champion in the outdoor 4×400 (2022, 2023, and 2024). With such strong chemistry, Niemiec’s best track and field memories are with her relay teammates – the longest one being senior sprinter Aliya Garozzo. 

Like most confident athletes, no amount of program accolades will satiate Niemiec’s competitive spirit. Even with multiple Second-Team All-Ivy awards and even a Second-Team All-America qualification on her back, the California native will certainly be looking to repeat her success at this year’s Ivy League Outdoor Heptagonal Championships on May 10-11. As she said during her junior year, “The sky is truly the limit” with Jocelyn Niemiec.

Field hockey — Meghan McGinley  

A four-year starter, not missing a single game for the Quakers, senior Meghan McGinley was the backbone of the backline for Penn. Ending her career as captain, McGinley was the perfect model of leadership throughout her tenure.  

Besides being available, McGinley was also potent on the turf, receiving two All-Ivy honors, an honorable mention in 2022 and a second team nod in 2024. In 2023, in the inaugural Ivy League field hockey tournament, McGinley was also named to the all-tournament team for her performance.  

Specifically in her final season, one which saw the team go through turmoil, McGinley stayed strong, becoming one of just nine players in the Ivy League to finish with at least two defensive saves. 

Tennis — Eileen Wang

Senior Eileen Wang has had a big impact on the women’s tennis team, on and off the court. She came out of the gate with a strong freshman season, going 13-11 overall in singles and 21-8 overall in doubles, playing mostly with partner and senior Sabine Rutlauka. 

By junior year, she had really hit her stride making first team All-Ivy for doubles as she and Rutlauka had an 8-4 overall record and a 5-2 Ivy record at No. 1 in doubles. In singles, she went 14-9 in the spring and was named Academic All-Ivy and an ITA Scholar-Athlete. Wang and sophomore Esha Velaga also qualified for NCAA doubles – the first pair of Quakers to do so since 2013.

Finally, this season, she finished with a 9-7 overall record, where she usually played No. 2 singles. She also had a 7-4 overall record at No. 1 doubles with Rutlauka. Their performance earned them an honorable mention for doubles in the Ivy League this season. Over the course of her college career, Wang’s skill at doubles has aided her team many times. Her connection with Rutlauka as well as her ability to partner with anyone and raise the level of their play has contributed to many Quakers wins.

Her perseverance on the court was perfectly highlighted by her final match this season against Yale, where she clinched the victory for her team in straight sets, scoring 7-5 then 6-4. This win secured the team second in the Ivy League. 

Golf — Natalie Cao

Coming from Sugar Land, Texas, senior golfer Natalie Cao has been as consistent as they come on the course for the Red and Blue. Even since her freshman year, Cao has repeatedly scored as one of the top Penn performers in competition after competition, playing at least 20 tournament rounds each year of her collegiate career.

During her four campaigns, Cao’s crowning achievement was a second team All-Ivy bid earned after her sixth-place finish at the Ivy League championships in 2022. Since then, Cao has continued to rack up top-five finishes or better among the Penn team at major tournaments.

To cap off her career, Cao carded a 10-over-par, or 226 stroke finish, at her final Ivy League championships, tying for sixth in program history.

Lacrosse — Anna Brandt

There are hundreds of collegiate lacrosse players. But there is only one Anna Brandt.

The Red and Blue will never be the same without Brandt, a senior midfielder who now holds two program records: the all-time goal record with 201 and the all-time draw controls with 212. She has had phenomenal season after phenomenal season to make an impact on the program. Brandt has accumulated two Ivy League Midfielder of the Year awards, once as a sophomore and once as a senior.

Her sophomore season marked the start of something great for Brandt. After a solid 24 goals and 44 draw controls in her freshman season, she exploded on the scene with more than double the goals made in her previous season, reaching 54 goals and 62 draw controls in her sophomore year.

She continued her run of excellence as a junior. Consistency was key, and she put up similar marks in both goals and draw controls and was a strong contributor on the ground balls. After her junior season, she was named to the United States women’s lacrosse national team training roster to compete for a spot on the team for the 2026 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship.

Soccer — Maya Leschly

Senior defender Maya Leschly started in all 16 matches for Penn this past season, locking down the back line. The Brookline, Mass. native was awarded second team All-Ivy for her efforts on defense. 

Leschly and Penn’s defense garnered four shutouts in the 2024 campaign. In total, the Quakers’ defense let up 1.25 goals per game. She recorded the second-most minutes on the team with 1,426. 

In total, Leschley started in 57 games throughout her career with the Red and Blue. Through her four years, Penn’s defense garnered 17 shutouts. 

Along with her athletic achievements, Leschly was also a weapon in the classroom. She took home two awards at the Penn Athletics Senior Student-Athlete Awards for her grade-point average. 

Squash — Emma Wolf

Senior squash player Emma Wolf joined Penn women’s squash team with a bang, competing in 15 of 18 matches during team competition, the most among all the freshmen that year. She helped lead Penn to its Howe Cup victory in 2022 at the CSA Team Championships. 

In her following years at Penn, Wolf continued to stack up the wins, beating Bowdoin to win in the Kurtz Cup quarterfinal match and winning two games in Howe Cup play in her final season. Though the women’s squash team was ravaged with injuries at critical moments in her junior year, Wolf rose to the occasion and won critical sets. Eventually, the team would see its season end at the hands of No. 1 Trinity. Despite the results, her wins and hard work shown throughout her years at Penn, with Wolf proving time and time again that she is a consistent teammate and force on the court.

Rowing — Brooke Caragher

Traveling all the way from Seattle, senior rower Brooke Caragher has occupied a spot in the vaunted varsity 8+ boat all four years of her time with the Red and Blue. Earning the illustrious position in her freshman year, Caragher would earn four first-place finishes to start her career.

Now a captain with her team ranked 16th in collegiate rowing heading into the Ivy League championships, Caragher has plenty to look back on in her career. The highest honor she has received was being named second team All-Ivy last year following the program’s second-place finish at the Ivy League championships. The program followed this success up with a 10th-place finish at the NCAA championships only weeks later.

With plenty of time left in this season to add more to her trophy case, Caragher will look to go out with a bang as her season concludes.

Volleyball — Kat Alexander

Penn volleyball senior defensive specialist/libero Kat Alexander has made a career digging out the ball for the Red and Blue. Earning starting spots in her freshman year and never relinquishing her position, Alexander has provided much-needed consistency and grit throughout her time at Penn.

Despite Penn’s team going 8-15 during her first season, Alexander’s sophomore and junior campaigns would see her succeed as the team fell. In two consecutive seasons, the team would go 2-22 and 4-20, respectively, leaving Alexander looking for her first winning season in her senior year. With an influx of youth, the team would succeed in this goal, going 13-10 with Alexander playing a significant role in defending the middle of the court.

Leaving a program with a much brighter future than when she found it, Alexander’s ability to defend against an opponent’s onslaught will surely be missed in the coming seasons.

Fencing — Sabrina Cho 

Surrounded by Olympians and friends, senior foilist Sabrina Cho always finds the right mindset around her teammates. Throughout her years on the mat, that mindset allowed her to set various records at the NCAA championships for the Red and Blue. 

Cho had always been a strong presence on the mat since finishing with a 30-15 record during her first season. From there, Cho had an impressive 47-13 finish in the 2022-23 season. That same season, she ultimately finished sixth at the NCAA championships. Cho would continue at the NCAA tournament with a qualification the following season, and a 14th-place finish in the 2024-25 season. 

As she steps off the mat for the final time, Cho is grateful for the people who bolster her, both athletically and personally. 

Swimming — Izzy Pytel  

Captain and senior breaststroke specialist Izzy Pytel has proved time and again that consistency is key. Throughout all four years of her career with Penn women’s swimming and diving, she has consistently qualified for the Ivy League championships. Her name has been etched into the record books, breaking the program times of the 100-yard breaststroke twice in 2023 and 2024 as well as the 200 breaststroke in 2023. She was named a College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America second-team Scholar All-America and gained a College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection.

More importantly, however, Pytel has comfortably stepped into the role of co-captain in her senior year, helping guide the women’s team through a season without the home base that is the Sheerr Pool at the Pottruck Health and Fitness Center. Other swimmers on the team, such as junior freestyle and individual medley specialist Anna Moehn and freshman freestyle and butterfly specialist Kayla Fu, have cited Pytel as a source of strength and leadership as the girls adapt to changing environments. Coach Mike Schnur has cited her influence on the newer swimmers, especially the freshmen, and her positivity as being what the team needed to carry home a much-improved fifth-place finish for the women’s team in the 2025 Ivy League championships.

A biologist-in-training, Pytel has both the skills and the character of a Quakers athlete. The words of her teammates and coaches are a testament to her dedication to the program’s success and lay the foundation for whatever road she takes in the future.