EDISON, N.J. – The Fairfield University Women's Basketball team, the reigning Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Champions, had two student-athletes selected to Preseason All-MAAC squads while the team was chosen to finish fourth in the MAAC Preseason Poll, as voted upon the league's 11 head coaches. Callie Cavanaugh was selected to the MAAC Preseason Second Team while Andrea Hernangomez was picked to the Preseason Third Team.
 
"We are extremely excited for the upcoming 2022-23 season," Head Coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis said. "The announcement of the preseason poll continues to add to our anticipation and eagerness to compete. While the polls create conversations and fun debate amongst fans, for us, our focus is on improving daily so that once we get ready for MAAC play, we are ready to compete. The league is ultra-competitive and we look forward to competing against our conference opponents."
 
The duo of Cavanaugh and Hernangomez highlight the 11 returning players for a Stags team that set a program record with 19 conference wins and their 19-1 MAAC mark.
 
Cavanaugh and Hernangomez combined for 27 percent of the team's scoring last season and 36 percent of the squad's rebounds.
 
Cavanaugh will be entering her graduate season with the Stags after finishing second on the team with a 9.6 scoring average last year. The forward earned All-MAAC Third Team honors for her success in 2021-22, including tallying a .456 field goal percentage, ranking her fourth in the MAAC. She also made her impact on the defensive side by leading the team with 26 charges drawn and swatting 23 blocked shots.
 
"Callie is so deserving of this preseason honor," Coach Thibault-DuDonis said. "Her body of work last year speaks for itself and she has been working extremely hard all summer and fall to take on a larger role and excel. She has consistently put in the time it takes to be great not only this off-season but over the course of her career. I'm glad she's getting a little bit of a reward for that before the season even begins."
 
Hernangomez led the team and finished sixth in the MAAC with 8.1 rebounds per game. She racked up 10 games with double-digit rebounds including two in the MAAC Championship Tournament. She set a career-high with 247 points scored and a personal-best .411 shooting percentage.   
 
"Dre has such a well-rounded and unique game, and I am so excited to watch her continue to grow her game and impact our team this upcoming season," Coach Thibault-DuDonis said. "She is someone that can be a matchup nightmare for opponents, and her energy is infectious. She is so deserving of this honor and we are excited to see her continue to perform at high levels this season. I'm incredibly grateful to be a part of Callie and Dre's college basketball journey!"
 
The Stags will return 11 letter winners from last season's MAAC Championship squad that comprise 35 percent of last year's scoring. Included in that list are guards Janelle Brown and Mimi Rubino who each appeared in at least 20 games last year. Brown was a spark plug for the Stags in her 31 appearances and finished second on the team with 1.9 assists per game.
 
In the post, Mackenzie Martin will join the experienced group of Hernangomez and Cavanaugh, as she enters her senior season. Martin checked into 28 games last year and finished with 39 rebounds.
 
Quinnipiac was chosen as the preseason favorite in the poll while amassing 117 votes with eight first place selections. Last year's runners-up Manhattan finished second just five points behind the Bobcats with three first place votes. Niagara was the only other school selected above the Stags with 94 points.
 
Manhattan's Dee Dee Davis was selected as the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year.
 
Fairfield is coming off their fourth MAAC Championship and fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. They will embark on their first season under Head Coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis when they travel to Brown for the 2022-23 season opener on Monday, Nov. 7 at 7pm.