ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (September 16, 2026) – The Metro Conference’s 13 women’s basketball head coaches have selected Fairfield as the preseason favorite heading into the 2026-27 season. The Stags were unanimously picked to win their fourth consecutive conference championship, while Fairfield standout Kaety L’Amoreaux was unanimously named the 2026-27 Metro Preseason Player of the Year.
Fairfield received 169 points and all 13 first-place votes to lead the preseason poll for the third consecutive year. The Stags are pursuing their fourth straight conference title and fifth in the last six seasons, having captured championships in 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2026. During the 2025-26 season, Fairfield went 19-1 in conference play and finished 28-4 overall after closing the season on an 11-game winning streak. The Stags defeated No. 1 Quinnipiac, 51-44, in the 2026 Metro Championship in Atlantic City to claim their seventh conference title and become the fourth program in conference history to win three consecutive championships. Fairfield’s championship also earned the Stags their eighth NCAA tournament appearance, where they entered as an 11-seed and fell to sixth-seeded Notre Dame, 79-60.
Fairfield has dominated conference play over the last three seasons, compiling a 64-2 record against conference opponents. The Stags have also received votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll during each of the last three seasons, cracking the top-25 in two campaigns. Fairfield will look to become just the second program in conference history to win four consecutive championships, joining Marist, which captured nine straight titles from 2006-14.
Siena was selected second in the preseason poll with 141 points, followed by Sacred Heart with 134, Iona with 127 and Mount St. Mary’s with 108 to round out the top five.
Siena finished the 2025-26 season fifth in the conference with an 11-9 record and a 13-17 overall mark. Sophomore Francesca Schiro was unanimously selected to the Preseason All-Metro First Team after earning 2026 Metro Rookie of the Year honors and receiving unanimous selection to the All-Rookie Team. Schiro earned two Mid-Major Madness Player of the Week honors and seven Metro Rookie of the Week awards during her freshman campaign, tying for the second-most Rookie of the Week selections in program history. She will look to help lead the Saints to their second conference title.
L’Amoreaux was unanimously selected as the Metro Preseason Player of the Year and earned a spot on the Preseason All-Metro First Team. The graduate student from Endwell, New York, returns after being named the 2026 Metro Player of the Year. She appeared in every game during the 2025-26 season and led the conference in total points (537), scoring average (18.5 points per game), assists (132), assists per game (4.6), field goals made, field goal percentage and free throws made (120). L’Amoreaux also recorded the conference’s only triple-double last season, finishing with 11 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds, which came on Jan. 3, 2026 against Niagara. She was a semifinalist for Mid-Major Player of the Year and was named Metro Basketball Writers Association Player of the Week on Jan. 28.
L’Amoreaux is joined on the Preseason All-Metro First Team by fellow Stag Megan Andersen, the 2025 Metro Preseason Player of the Year.
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2026 Metro Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
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1
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Fairfield
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169 (13)
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2
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Siena
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141
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3
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Sacred Heart
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134
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4
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Iona
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127
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5
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Mount St. Mary’s
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108
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6
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Quinnipiac
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103
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7
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Marist
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87
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8
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Manhattan
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83
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9
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Merrimack
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80
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10
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Saint Peter’s
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50
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11
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Rider
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43
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12
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Canisius
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42
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13
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Niagara
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16
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Preseason Player of the Year
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Kaety L'Amoreaux (Fairfield) – Unanimous
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Preseason All-Metro First Team
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Player
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Year
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Institution
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Francesca Schiro (unanimous)
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So.
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Siena
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Kaety L'Amoreaux (unanimous)
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Gr.
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Fairfield
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Justine Henry (unanimous)
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So.
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Marist
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Oralye Kiefer
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Gr.
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Sacred Heart
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Meghan Andersen
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Sr.
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Fairfield
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Shariah Gailes
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Sr.
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Canisius
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Preseason All-Metro Second Team
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Player
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Year
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Institution
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Nalyce Dudley
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Sr.
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Sacred Heart
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Cyanne Coe
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Jr.
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Fairfield
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Kaiya Rain Tucker
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So.
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Siena
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Jillian Huerter
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Gr.
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Fairfield
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Alana Powell
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Sr.
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Mount St. Mary’s
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Mya Zaccagnini
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Sr.
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Iona
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Aliya McIver
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Sr.
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Rider
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Preseason All-Metro Third Team
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Player
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Year
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Institution
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Lana McCarthy
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Jr.
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Fairfield
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Paige Kohler
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Sr.
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Fairfield
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Danielle Williamsen
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Jr.
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Marist
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Nicole Melious
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R-Jr.
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Siena
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Sophie Nascimento
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So.
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Sacred Heart
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Kristina Juric
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R-Jr.
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Manhattan
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The Metro Basketball Championships will feature the league’s top 10 teams. The championships will be held from Thursday through Tuesday, March 4-9, 2027, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, with the Metro Conference champions earning the league’s automatic qualifiers to the NCAA tournament. For more information on the Metro Women’s Basketball Championship, please click here.