WINTHROP, Mass. — Emmanuel College has been selected as the preseason favorite for the 2026-27 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball season, according to a vote of the league's 13 head coaches. The defending GNAC champion Saints received all 13 first-place votes and 169 points after advancing to the NCAA Tournament last winter.
Saint Joseph's College of Maine follows in second with 152 points. Head Coach Chris Woodside returns for his second season as the Monks look to build on their GNAC runner-up finish in 2025-26.
Graduate student Grace Ramsdell (Wells, Maine) returns to the Monks after missing the 2025-26 season due to injury. During her junior campaign, Ramsdell averaged 14.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game while recording a team-high 15 blocks.
Among the Monks' top returning scorers are junior Hayden Madore (Hallowell, Maine) and senior Maddie Russell (Oakfield, Maine). Madore averaged 9.1 points per game last season while leading all returning players with 49 assists. Russell averaged 8.9 points per game and recorded a team-high 36 combined blocks and steals among returning players.
Norwich University ranks third in the poll with 133 points, followed by Lasell University in fourth with 115 points and Regis College rounding out the top five with 111 points.
The remainder of the poll includes Albertus Magnus College (107), the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) (103), New England College (86), Elms College (59), Colby-Sawyer College (54), Rivier University (45), Dean College (28), and Mitchell College (21).
The 2026-27 GNAC season opens with non-conference action on Friday, November 6, with conference play beginning Tuesday, December 1. The opening day of GNAC competition features five matchups, including the Monks traveling to Colby-Sawyer College.
The GNAC postseason begins with the quarterfinals on Tuesday, February 23, followed by the semifinals on Thursday, February 25, and the championship on Saturday, February 27. The conference champion will earn the GNAC's automatic bid to the 2027 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament, which begins March 5.
2026-27 Women's Basketball Preseason Poll Results
1. Emmanuel – 169 (13)
2. Saint Joseph's (Maine) – 152
3. Norwich – 133
4. Lasell – 115
5. Regis – 111
6. Albertus Magnus – 107
7. University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) – 103
8. New England College – 86
9. Elms – 59
10. Colby-Sawyer – 54
11. Rivier – 45
12. Dean – 28
13. Mitchell – 21
First-place votes in parentheses.
