DALLAS – Liberty was selected as the 2026 preseason favorite in Conference USA by the league’s 10 head coaches. Liberty fifth year forward
Halle Engle was tabbed as the CUSA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while teammate
Lauren Littleton was named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.
Liberty enters its fourth season in CUSA after winning the CUSA Championship in two of its first three years. The Lady Flames finished with a 14-4-4 record and finished co-regular season champions with a 6-0-2 mark in 2025. Engle, Littleton,
Peyton Huber,
Salle Garner and
Avenley Monteith make up Liberty’s league-best five student-athletes on the preseason all-conference team.
Engle started in all 22 games in 2025 and led Liberty with nine assists, while tallying six goals and 21 points. The fifth year forward recorded at least one point in each of Liberty’s three CUSA Championship games with one goal and three assists in total. Engle logged three contests with at least one goal and an assist. She’s been named a CUSA all-conference member in back-to-back campaigns.
Littleton returns for her senior season after being named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2025 and the CUSA Championship Defensive MVP. The Friendswood, Texas, native, guided a strong Flame defense that only allowed three goals in eight conference games. Littleton logged over 1700 minutes in 17 starts and tallied career-highs with two goals and an assist.
Delaware’s
Adiat Olaogun-Dickson and
Gabby Riley, Sam Houston’s
Ellie Morgan and WKU’s
Makenna Egan,
Georgia Liapis and
Abby Wiedermann round out the 2026 Preseason All-Conference Team after standout campaigns last season.
The top eight teams will advance to the CUSA Championship, hosted by Delaware from Nov. 8-13 in Newark, Del. The 2026 CUSA season kicks off Wednesday, Aug. 12.
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Halle Engle, Liberty
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Lauren Littleton, Liberty
Preseason All-Conference Team
GK: Peyton Huber, Liberty
D: Sallie Garner, Liberty
D: Lauren Littleton, Liberty
D: Abby Wiedermann, WKU
MF: Gabby Riley, Delaware
MF: Avenley Monteith, Liberty
MF: Ellie Morgan, Sam Houston
MF: Georgia Liapis, WKU
F: Adiat Olaogun-Dickson, Delaware
F: Halle Engle, Liberty
F: Makenna Egan, WKU
Preseason Poll (first-place votes)
- Liberty (9) 81 points
- Missouri State 62 points
- Delaware (1) 61 points
- WKU 55 points
- FIU 52 points
- MTSU 46 points
- Sam Houston 39 points
- NM State 29 points
- Kennesaw State 13 points
- Jax State 12 points