STANDISH, Maine – The 2026 Maine Women's Basketball Coaches Association (MWBCA) postseason honors are out and Saint Joseph's College is represented by a pair of award winners. Freshman guard Layla Facchiano (Auburn, Maine) has been named the MWBCA Rookie of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Rookie Team, while senior guard Elisabeth Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) collected Second Team All-State recognition.
A three-time MWBCA Rookie of the Week selection, Facchiano made an immediate impact in her first collegiate season. She played in 25 games and averaged 7.1 points in 22.0 minutes per outing, finishing the year with 178 points, 71 rebounds, 47 assists, and 29 steals while shooting 36.9% from the field and 35.6% from three-point range. She scored in double figures seven times, highlighted by a season-high 16-point effort against Lasell on Feb. 3, and added a season-best seven assists at Dean on Feb. 7 and eight rebounds at Regis on Feb. 17.
With the award, Facchiano becomes the fourth Saint Joseph's player since 2013 to be named MWBCA Rookie of the Year, joining Morgan Cahill '16 (2013), Kelsi McNamara '19 (2016), and Stapelfeld (2023).
Stapelfeld caps her career with Second Team All-State honors after also earning First Team All-Conference and D3hoops.com Third Team All-Region distinction this winter. She led the Monks in scoring average (14.6), total points (379), field goals made (133), field-goal percentage (43.6%), free throws made (83), free throws attempted (109), free-throw percentage (76.1%), assists per game (2.6), and total assists (68).
Stapelfeld also reached a major career milestone during the season, becoming the 28th member of Saint Joseph's 1,000-Point Club. She closed her career with 1,218 points, which ranks 13th in program history, and joined her sister, Cassandra Stapelfeld '22, as the only sibling duo featured on the program's 1,000-Point Club banner. Over 112 career games, including 105 starts, Stapelfeld averaged 10.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 47.1% from the floor, 32.5% from beyond the arc, and 75.0% at the free-throw line.
In their first season under head coach Chris Woodside, the Monks posted a 17-11 overall record and went 10-2 in GNAC play to secure the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. Saint Joseph's carried an eight-game winning streak into postseason action, picked up tournament wins over Norwich University and Albertus Magnus College, and advanced to the GNAC Championship game.
