The Linfield University Wildcats captured the 2026 Northwest Conference regular-season championship with a 15–1 conference record and 22–3 overall mark. With the title, Linfield earns the No. 1 seed and will host the NWC Women’s Basketball Tournament for the first time in program history.
Defending tournament and regular-season champion Whitman College joins Linfield in the four-team field as the No. 2 seed after finishing 13–3 in league play. The University of Puget Sound Loggers also finished 13–3, securing the No. 3 seed based on NWC tiebreakers. Rounding out the field is the George Fox University Bruins at No. 4 with a 10–6 record.
The tournament will be held February 27–28 in McMinnville, Oregon. Friday’s semifinals start with Whitman taking on Puget Sound at 6:00 p.m., followed by host Linfield facing George Fox at 8:00 p.m.
The winners will meet Saturday, February 28, at 6:00 p.m. in the championship game, with the victor earning the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship.