WINTHROP, Mass. – Saint Joseph's College of Maine has been tabbed as the team to beat in the 2025–26 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Basketball Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's 13 head coaches. The Monks, who advanced to last year's championship game, earned 160 points and six first-place votes to secure the top spot.
Emmanuel College sits close behind in second with 146 points and five first-place nods. Despite finishing seventh in the standings last season, the Saints carry a tradition of deep postseason runs and will look to once again be a serious contender for the conference crown.
Reigning GNAC champion University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) follows in third with 144 points and the final two first-place votes. The Blue Jays captured the 2025 title after a Cinderella postseason run that included upset victories over top-seeded Johnson & Wales (then a GNAC member) and second-seeded Saint Joseph's (Maine), earning the program's first trip to the NCAA Tournament where they faced nationally-ranked Johns Hopkins.
Albertus Magnus collected 134 points to claim the fourth spot in the poll, while Rivier rounds out the top five with 120 points. Regis and Lasell tied for sixth with 85 points apiece, followed by Norwich at eighth with 74 points.
New England College (66) sits in ninth, with Colby-Sawyer (61), Elms (61), Dean (30), and Mitchell (17) completing the rankings.
The 2025–26 women's basketball season tips off on Friday, November 7 with non-conference play. GNAC action begins Saturday, January 10, featuring a 12-game, single round-robin schedule. The top eight finishers will qualify for the 2025–26 GNAC Women's Basketball Championship Tournament, beginning with the quarterfinals on Tuesday, February 24. The semifinals follow on Thursday, February 26, and the championship game is set for Saturday, February 28, with the winner earning the GNAC's automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship.
2025-26 Women's Basketball Preseason Poll Results
| 1) |
Saint Joseph's (Maine) |
160 (6) |
| 2) |
Emmanuel |
146 (5) |
| 3) |
University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) |
144 (2) |
| 4) |
Albertus Magnus |
134 |
| 5) |
Rivier |
120 |
| T-6) |
Regis |
85 |
| T-6) |
Lasell |
85 |
| 8) |
Norwich |
74 |
| 9) |
New England College |
66 |
| T-10) |
Colby-Sawyer |
61 |
| T-10) |
Elms |
61 |
| 12) |
Dean |
30 |
| 13) |
Mitchell |
17 |
ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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