Imai retires as eighth all-time leading scorer, reflects on senior season
- Leslie Gomez, Staff Writer
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Just two years after earning an at-large bid to the DIII March Madness tournament, women’s basketball has found themselves once more in a bit of a playoff drought.
Senior guard Kaitlin Imai (’26) has witnessed all the highs and lows of the program. The Bearcats finished No. 5 in the Northwest Conference (NWC) this season, just a few games short of a playoff berth and another shot at dancing in March Madness. This season, however, her impact was felt even more as she cemented her legacy by finishing her career as the program’s eighth all-time leading scorer.
For Imai, basketball has always been a constant.
“Since the third grade, it’s been a big part of my life,” Imai said. “My sister started playing, and as a little sister, I wanted to be like her.”
That lifelong commitment has carried Imai to become one of the most impactful players in Bearcat women's basketball history. But for Imai, individual milestones have always come second to the team.
“I wasn’t really thinking about rankings,” she said. “It was more about, ‘What can I do to win?’ Sometimes that’s scoring, sometimes that’s distributing and reading the floor.”
Imai’s career has unfolded during a period of both promise and growing pains for the Bearcats. In the 2023-24 season, the team surged to the top of the NWC standings, finishing 14-2 in conference and earning the right to host the conference tournament in Salem. But their postseason ended abruptly with a semifinal loss, exposing issues that have lingered in recent years: depth, late-game execution and handling pressure in elimination moments. For players like Imai, those shortcomings were frustrating but instructive.
“The goal is always a championship,” she said. “Anytime you fall short of that, it’s going to be hard.”
Part of that challenge stemmed from the team’s youth. Teammate Emma Floyd (’26) noted that recent seasons have required younger players to step into larger roles earlier than expected. That inexperience showed at times, particularly in high-pressure situations, but it also accelerated growth across the roster. This season, Riley Walden (ʼ29) earned NWC Rookie of the Year.
Imai saw that development firsthand.
“We had a lot of freshmen and sophomores contributing, which is awesome,” she said. “I’m hopeful for what they can do later.”
As a senior, Imai embraced the responsibility of helping guide that younger class, a role shaped by the leadership she once received.
“My seniors, when I was a freshman, did a really great job checking in on us, pushing us and asking more of us,” she said. “That’s what I value. Somebody who believes in you enough to ask you for more.”
Her leadership style mirrors the team’s values: growth through accountability and connection.
“You get what you put in,” Imai said. “Basketball is a team sport — nobody can do it by themselves. The only way you can succeed is to commit to each other and to a collective goal.”
That commitment has been especially important as the Bearcats look to build on past success and avoid the inconsistency that followed their conference title season. After winning the program’s first regular-season championship in 28 years, the team struggled the following year, highlighting the difficulty of sustaining success amid roster turnover and injuries.
Now, after the 2025-26 season, the Bearcats have once again found their footing. This season, they remained competitive against teams that previously gave them trouble and have avoided the prolonged losing streaks that derailed earlier campaigns. A late-season pair of wins over Lewis & Clark and Pacific Lutheran pushed them into fifth in the conference standings, just outside a tournament berth.
For Imai, one of her most meaningful moments came in that recent win over Lewis & Clark on Feb. 21, not only because of the result alone, but because of how the team achieved it.
“Everybody contributed. The ball movement was flowing really well. It felt like we were really connecting as a team,” she said. “I just wanted to leave everything I had out on the court and not have any regrets.”
With their final game ending on a high, Imai reflected on what it meant for her at the end of her collegiate career.
“It’s weird to think that I’m not going to be here next year,” Imai said.
Her impact will extend beyond her final season. Imai has helped shape the foundation for the Bearcats’ future, one built not just on talent, but on trust and shared motivation.
“I just want to make sure I’m working with people who want to do better and commit to the same environment,” she said. “That’s what being part of a team is about — a community.”