2026 Rankings: Who Moved Up?

There was a lot of movement in this round of rankings updates for the class of 2026. Here are a few of the prospects who took the biggest leaps up the ranks.    Akpan cracked the top ten in the rankings for the first time, jumping up to #7 from her previous rank at #11 and earning the #1 positional spot amongst centers. Akpan had a monster sophomore season, including a state tournament that saw her smash the tournament rebounding record previously set by Cameron Brink, showing how she is perhaps the best rebounder in the state currently. She is particularly impressive on the offensive glass, and continues to improve in her scoring capabilities as well. With two years left in her career, Akpan is one of the most exciting prospects in the state.     Another notable shift was [player_tooltip player_id='832605' first='Sara' last='Mangan']'s jump from #21 up to #11. In her sophomore season with the Skyhawks, Mangan showed why she is one of the top guards in the class and in the state. She was the only sophomore to make first team all-Metro League, led her team to the state tournament at the Chiles Center, and in the final game of the season, she put up 27 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals against Jefferson, numbers that were typical for her this season. Mangan is already a college-level talent and it will be exciting to watch as she continues to develop over the next two years.     By far the biggest improvement in the 2026 rankings was by [player_tooltip player_id='842741' first='Mylaena' last='Norton'], who skyrocketed from #42 all the way up to #12. She was first team all-Intermountain Conference and second team all-state in her sophomore season, and helped lead Redmond to a fifth-place finish in the state. She is an all-around point guard who led the Panthers in scoring, averaging 15 points, 3 assists, and 3 steals per game. Seeing how impressive Norton was this season, she is one of the most exciting prospects to keep an eye on over the next two years.     More major movement in the top 20 included [player_tooltip player_id='832596' first='Darissa' last='Romero Ah-Sam']'s rise from #17 to #14. She was a key factor in Springfield's fourth-place finish at the state tournament after earning first team all-Midwestern League and honorable mention all-state honors. Romero Ah-Sam demonstrated incredible growth from her freshman to sophomore seniors, showing her ability to shoot from deep as well as her ability to be one of the best defenders in the state with big numbers in the steals department. Combine that with her great handles and speed, she will be a top talent in the coming years.     Looking at the 4A level, [player_tooltip player_id='832650' first='Mariah' last='Bailey'] is one of the best in the class of 2026 and earned herself the #34 spot in the rankings, up from her previous ranking of #39. She earned second team all-Sky-Em League for a season in which she averaged 11.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.9 steals and had a season high 28-point game while shooting 7/9 from deep. Bailey is a high IQ player who will only continue to get better over the course of her career, and coaches should keep an eye out for her.

There was a lot of movement in this round of rankings updates for the class of 2026. Here are a few of the prospects who took the biggest leaps up the ranks.