EDISON, N.J. – After achieving one of the most historic seasons in conference history, the reigning MAAC Champions, the Fairfield University Women's Basketball team was picked to repeat their title as they earned the top pick in the MAAC Preseason Poll as voted upon by the league's 13 head coaches. As a group, the Stags had four Preseason All-MAAC selections, headlined by the reigning MAAC Player of the Year, Janelle Brown being voted the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year. Along with Brown, Fairfield's Meghan Andersen, Emina Selimovic, and Kaety L'Amoreaux were all chosen on the All-MAAC Preseason squad.
 
"While preseason polls can be fun for fans and media to dissect and discuss, we understand the target that puts on our back and the responsibility to show up every day," Head Coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis, the reigning MAAC Coach of the Year, said. "We are excited about the team that we have both with a strong returning core and talented new additions, as well as the challenge that lies ahead to compete in a great league!"
 
The Stags made national headlines last season, earning their first-ever national ranking while amassing a 29-game winning streak that was highlighted by a MAAC Championship. In total, the Stags achieved a 31-2 overall record and a perfect 20-0 mark in league play. With all that success, Fairfield earned all 13 first-place votes from the league's head coaches, and were followed in the poll by: Siena, Niagara, and Quinnipiac in the league's top-four.
 
Fairfield will return 91 percent of their scoring from last year including the reigning MAAC Player of the Year, Janelle Brown who led all guards in the country in field goal percentage (.572). She also set the program-record with a .451 3-point shooting percentage.  The graduate guard was the sparkplug of Fairfield's historic season and was named the MAAC Championship MVP after leading the team to their fifth MAAC title, and her second.
 
"Nellie is a true testament of what hard work, dedication, and passion for this sport can look like," Coach Carly said. "She took her game to another level last season and I can honestly say that she has added even more this summer and fall. She is someone that is going to continue to turn a lot of heads this season."
 
Brown was one of two players unanimously selected to the Preseason All-MAAC squad joining her teammate and the reigning MAAC Rookie of the Year Meghan Andersen. The rising sophomore is coming off the best rookie season in program history, breaking the rookie scoring mark with 497 points. In her first collegiate season, she led the MAAC in points, field goals (195), 3-point percentage (.359), and blocks (46). Her success was noticed around the nation as she was a Becky Hammon National Mid-Major Player of the Year Semifinalist and earned a spot on the USBWA National Player of the Year Watch List.
 
Joining the duo on the Preseason All-MAAC team is Emina Selimovic and Kaety L'Amoreaux. Selimovic was an All-MAAC Third Team selection last season after averaging 9.8 points and a team-high 5.4 rebounds. She reached double-figures in scoring 14 times and led the team in rebounding in 10 contests. She recorded four double-doubles with two coming in the MAAC Championship Tournament, leading her to an All-MAAC Tournament Team spot.
 
L'Amoreaux also earned an All-MAAC Tournament Team spot after netting a team-high 19 points in her first career tournament contest. For the season, she finished fifth in the MAAC with 58 made 3-pointers, including a career-high six trifectas – and two in the final 30 seconds – in the win at Mount St. Mary's. She was one of the team's best on-ball defenders by recording 58 steals, ranking in the top-10 in the conference.
 
"We are thrilled for Nellie, Meg, Emina, and Kaety to be named preseason All-MAAC, as the work they have all put it is deserving of this recognition," Coach Carly said. "It is a great compliment to be selected by the coaches in this league amongst such good talent, and we think the best is still to come for all of them."
 
Fairfield returns nine student-athletes, four starters, and 91 percent of the scoring from a team that netted 2,391 points.
 
Along with the talent returning, the Stags add five newcomers with three transfers and two freshmen – Cyanne Coe and Julia Karpell. Fairfield will also welcome Jillian Huerter from Rutgers and Sydni Scott from Marshall. The duo combined for 484 points and 118 made 3-pointers. The Stags also bring in Division II All-American Raina Brown who netted 2,070 points in her career, the fifth-most among active players in the country.
 
The Stags will tip-off their 2024-25 campaign with a visit to Arkansas on November 4.