BOSTON – Suffolk women's basketball head coach Ed Leyden has announced that Ava Thurman and Olivia Verdile will serve as captains for the 2025-26 season.

 

The pair steps into leadership for the first time in their careers and is the first time a duo shared the leadership role since 2023-24 when Madi Mahoney '24 and Maddie Stewart '25 were co-captains. Thurman and Verdile are the youngest known co-captains in the last decade as the twosome earned the title as juniors. Stewart was the last Suffolk student to be captain her junior year she she shared the role with Mahoney two years ago. 

 

Thurman, a Lynn, Massachusetts product, appeared in 24 games a season ago. The third-ever recipient of the Sue Rae '81 Heart and Soul Award, she embodies a team-first mentality that resonates in how she leads the Rams on and off the court.

 

Verdile, who hails from Ballston Spa, New York, saw action in all 26 contests last year and averaged 4.0 points per game. A threat from deep, she connected on 36.5 percent of her attempts from beyond-the-arc. In her first two seasons, the guard was a spark off the bench, and this season she is expected to take on a larger role in the Rams' rotation.

 

The Rams tip off the 2025-26 season this weekend at Larry E. and Michael S. Smirth Court in non-conference play with a 7:00 p.m. home opener against Rivier followed by a Sunday, Nov. 9 showdown with in the basement of the Ridgeway Building at 1:00 p.m.