The transfer portal has brought out aspects of college athletics that fans, coaches, and players thought would never occur, and it doesn't appear to slow down anytime soon. 

Iowa women's basketball added three Power Four transfers (Dani Carnegie, Amari Whiting, and Jocelyn Faison) to its 2026-27 roster, but the fourth and final member of its transfer portal class didn't even come from Division I - it came from Division III in the form of Knox College transfer Bria Medina. 

To say Division III is a step below the other two divisions is an understatement. Schools that are classified in Division III are much smaller than their larger counterparts in Division I and Division II, but the biggest difference between the three is the fact that Division III programs can't offer athletic scholarships.  

Division III teams aren't given much attention as a result, but that doesn't mean they don't feature talent. Duncan Robinson began his college basketball career with Williams College and is now in the starting lineup for the Detroit Pistons, while Mason Miller has emerged as one of the best closers in Major League Baseball after his stint with Waynesburg University. 

Could Medina be the next former Division III athlete to make a mark at a higher level? Iowa certainly hopes so. 

Medina was an unknown to many because she came from a D-III school, but ask anyone that had to go up against her in the Midwest Conference, and they'll probably tell you they wish she wasn't anywhere near their gyms. 

That's because of Medina's elite scoring ability. The 5-foot-6 Medina averaged 23.6 points per game during her junior campaign with the Prairie Fire, helping them to an 11-5 conference record. The 23.6 points per contest were the second-most in the nation and earned Medina 2026 MWC Player of the Year honors. 

Not only was Medina effective at getting the ball in the hoop, she was dominant in many other statistical categories, too. She led the MWC in minutes (36.4), free throw percentage (86.7%), and was second in field goal percentage (47.5%) 

There's not a ton of tape on Medina out there, but what is present should be attractive to Iowa women's basketball fans. The Hawkeyes already had fantastic guard play with Chit-Chat Wright and Taylor Stremlow, but the additions of Carnegie and Medina should pay major dividends for an offense that really struggled from beyond the arc during the postseason. 

Medina is the kind of guard that every college basketball program wants. She can score the rock and also isn't afraid to do the dirty work on the offensive glass. Medina's shorter 5-foot-6 frame will make that a difficult task in the Big Ten this season, but just one look at this tape shows her natural scoring ability. 

Iowa's roster needed more depth in order to even challenge UCLA for the league crown, and Jensen and Co. certainly have that with Medina.

Look for Medina to get a lot of minutes against the weakest teams in the non-conference to help her adjust to D-I basketball. 

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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at [email protected]