TUCSON, Arizona — Pima Aztecs Aim to Defend Historic NJCAA TitleThe Pima Community College women’s basketball team enters the 2026-27 season as defending NJCAA Division II national champions, looking to build on the program’s first title after a dominant run last spring.
In March 2026, the No. 4-seeded Aztecs defeated No. 6 Kirkwood Community College (Iowa) 64-58 in the championship game in Hickory, North Carolina. Sophomore Kiley Sours-Miller scored a game-high 27 points with 10 rebounds, while Melicia Nelson added 20 points and 11 rebounds and earned tournament MVP honors. The win capped a 30-4 season that included an 18-game winning streak, the ACCAC and Region I titles, and a dramatic semifinal upset of previously undefeated No. 1 Johnson County Community College—the same team that had beaten Pima in the 2025 title game.
Coach Todd Holthaus, in his long tenure leading the program, guided the Aztecs to their first national championship after previous Final Four and runner-up appearances. Sours-Miller, the NJCAA Division II Player of the Year and a two-time All-American, and Nelson have moved on, with Nelson continuing her career at Southern Utah.
Pima returns key pieces from the championship roster, including starters Reigne Waugh, Lucy Fisher, and Kahlia Gonzales. Holthaus has reloaded with a strong incoming class featuring local talent such as Pueblo High’s America Cazares (Arizona’s all-time girls career scoring leader), along with other Southern Arizona standouts and out-of-state recruits. Competition for minutes is expected to be intense as the Aztecs open preseason play and prepare for ACCAC competition.
With a championship banner now hanging in the West Campus Aztec Gymnasium, the defending champions face the challenge of sustaining success in a competitive landscape. Holthaus’s program has established itself as a consistent national contender, and the 2026-27 squad will look to prove that last season’s breakthrough was only the beginning.
