Going into her third year on the active roster of the Binghamton women’s basketball team, redshirt junior guard Jadyn Weltz looks to maintain her presence as one of BU’s best. Coming off a campaign in which she was BU’s second-leading scorer, leading rebounder and assists leader, she is entering the year with her first America East preseason all-conference selection. Weltz will look to be a veteran leader, especially in maintaining the team culture.

“Personally, I view myself as a leader,” Weltz said. “I’ve been here long enough to know that this game takes everybody, and it takes everybody in any way possible. So team culture has been something that I have really been big about, and everybody on this team has been big about.”

Last year, Weltz averaged 10.7 points per game, reaching double figures in 15 games. She scored her career high in points in the most important game of the year, netting 25 points against Maine in the AE semifinals. She also saw significant improvements in shooting efficiency in all areas, especially from the field, jumping from 36.2 percent to 47.7 percent last year. However, Weltz is never satisfied — she is always looking to improve.

“For me, the offseason has been getting in a lot of consistency work,” Weltz said. “Getting my shot off quicker, getting my shot to be more consistent, and just having a little more confidence. I guess the word would be ‘swag’ to my game. Just playing with that intensity and that confidence, knowing that I’ve put in the work and that shot that I have is mine.”

Weltz, who started in all of Binghamton’s 31 games last year, finds comfort in her pregame routine.

“I like to kind of take an hour or two to myself and just gather my thoughts, gather my intentions, maybe say a prayer and get into the right headspace before the game,” Weltz said. “Then, during warmups, I try to get my team going and get everybody fired up, get the energy high so that we are able to start right off the bat.”

Weltz brings two years of experience, including starts in three AE playoff games, to first-year head coach Mary Grimes’ new-look squad. Weltz is enthusiastic about the arrival of Grimes, and she foresees a high-potential year for the team.

“Nothing but great things to say about [Grimes],” Weltz said. “She’s pushing us to new levels and she sees great potential in our group. It’s exciting to see things come together. From Day One to where we are now, it’s been nothing but progress so full support of her and everything she has here at Binghamton.“

Off the court, Weltz approaches her academics with a similar mentality to what she does on the court. As a business administration student, she was named to the AE Commissioner’s Honor Roll during the 2023-24 season, as well as her 2021-22 medical redshirt season. As her medical redshirt campaign allows for an extra year of eligibility, she is also looking to earn a Master of Business Administration from BU. Despite the challenges of being a student-athlete, for Weltz, excellence is always the goal.

“Yeah, it’s tough,” Weltz said. “Obviously, you have to get good at time management and stuff like that, but I’m a competitive person so I’m always striving to be the best version of myself in any way possible. Whether that’s on the court or in the classroom I hold myself to that higher standard and always pushing for excellence.”

After falling just short in the AE semifinals to eventual conference champions in Maine, Weltz and her teammates are eager to improve last year’s results and deliver Binghamton women’s basketball its first-ever AE title.

“As a team, I’m excited to get the chance to hang a banner up,” Weltz said. “We’ve been talking about it since Day One. It started three months ago and it’s only going to get harder and require more team effort the more we get through it. So I’m excited for the opportunity to compete for a championship.”