MARLBOROUGH, Mass. – With eleven first-place votes, Smith College has secured the top spot in the 2025-2026 NEWMAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll. Coming off its fifth-consecutive NEWMAC Championship and reaching the NCAA National Championship for the second-straight season, head coach Lynn Hersey returns a strong core, including All-Region selection Hannah Martin, who averaged 12.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. The Bears are also excited to welcome two transfers who will play alongside veterans Ella Sylvester (9.3ppg), Virginia Johnson (5.6ppg), and Selam Maher (6.7ppg). 
 
Babson claims the second spot, nabbing one first-place vote. Third-year head coach Kate Barnosky coaches the Beavers and returns two starters and 11 players in all from a team that went 16-10 overall and 8-3 in conference play last winter. Junior Samantha Reale earned all-conference second-team honors, averaging 11.2 points per game. Graduate student Emily Flynn finished third on the team in scoring (9.8 ppg) and first in rebounding (6.8 rpg).
 
The third spot goes to Emerson College. Head coach Bill Gould enters his 19^th season at the helm for the Lions and will look to Bri Frongillo to make an impact, as the NEWMAC Women's Basketball Athlete of the Year returns after leading the NEWMAC with 22.5 points per game, to go along with 5.2 assists per game. Claire English also returns after a season in which she was in the top-five in the NEWMAC in assists (3.2), rebounds (8.2), and blocks (1.6).
 
Springfield College lands in the fourth spot. The Pride, led by head coach Naomi Graves, enters the 2025-2026 campaign led by Amanda Leary, who averaged 13.5 points per game, earning NEWMAC All-Conference Second Team honors last season. 
 
Coast Guard and MIT find themselves in a tie for fifth place. MIT is under the direction of head coach Lucia Robinson-Griggs. The Engineers return seven players from last year's run to the NEWMAC Championship game, including Alice Hall, who was second on the team with 5.3 rebounds per game.  MIT also welcomes five new student-athletes to the squad.
 
The Bears are led by head coach Alex Ivansheck, who enters his 14th season at the helm. Dorothy Stotts headlines the returners, as she was a First Team All-Conference selection a season ago, after leading the team in points per game with 18.5, good for second in the league, and was third in the NEWMAC in assists per game with 3.5.
 
WPI, led by veteran head coach Cherise Galasso, nabs the seventh spot. The Engineers welcome back their leading scorer in Ava Giansiracusa, who averaged 11.7 points per game and was named to the NEWMAC All-Conference second team.

Sliding into the eighth spot is Salve Regina University. The Seahawks are coached by Cori Hughes and will return several key contributors from a season ago, including Sofia Neary, who averaged a double-double of 14.8 points per game and a league-leading 10.8 rebounds per game, earning All-NEWMAC First Team honors.
 
Clark University takes the ninth spot. The Cougars are led by Bridgette Reyes and bring back nine players from last year’s squad, headlined by reigning NEWMAC Rookie of the Year Cyriah Coleman. Coleman averaged 13.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.2 steals per night. Juniors Kailey Rios and Catherine Antwi also return for the scarlet and white after averaging in double-figures a season ago.
 
Wheaton College, coached by Kanika Cummings, rounds out the top ten. The Lyons will be led by a core group of seniors, led in scoring by Regan Keyter’s 9.4 points per game. Kiki Walters also returns after leading the team with 59 steals.
 
Wellesley College and Mount Holyoke College finish out the poll in the 11^th and 12^th spots, respectively. Wellesley, coached by Jennifer Kroll, returns eight players, including Trinity Barrow, who was a Second Team All-Conference selection, averaging 12.6 ppg, 3.3 apg, and a league-leading 3.1 steals per game.
 
Mount Holyoke, coached by second-year head coach Abby Wemhoff, returns leading scorer Ania McMichael, who averaged 7.2 points per game to go along with 5.3 assists per game.
 
The NEWMAC women’s basketball championship will be held on Sunday, March 1.
 
2025-2026 NEWMAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll 

1. Smith (11) 
2. Babson (1) 
3. Emerson
4. Springfield
T5. MIT
T5. Coast Guard
7.  WPI
8.  Salve Regina
9.  Clark
10. Wheaton
11. Wellesley
12. Mount Holyoke
 
About the NEWMAC

The NEWMAC is an association of 12 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with eight Associate Members: Brandeis University (Women's Lacrosse, 2026-2027), New York University (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), SUNY New Paltz (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), and Vassar College (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), while sponsoring 20 sports.