FAIRFIELD, Conn. – For the first time in program history, the Fairfield University Women's Basketball team will have a number in front of their name. The Stags earned a spot in the Associated Press (AP) Top-25 poll, slotting in at No. 25 nationally. They become the first MAAC squad ranked in the national poll since Marist accomplished the feat over a decade ago. The MAAC Regular Season Champions bring a 26-1 overall record and a 24-game winning streak into the group, both ranking second in Division I.
 
"This is a momentous occasion for our program," Head Coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis said. "I came to Fairfield knowing it was a special place with the infrastructure, the support from the top and incredible people that was set up to be in the national conversation every season, so this is a huge step in that happening. We are grateful that our consistency has been rewarded by the voters and we're going to keep working hard so that today isn't a crescendo, but rather a launching point to even bigger accomplishments."
 
Fairfield has already set a single-season program record with their 26 wins and their 26-1 record is the second-highest winning percentage in the nation behind only undefeated South Carolina. Their 24-game win streak is also the second-longest active streak in the nation and was built against opponents from seven different conferences including the: Big Ten, Big East, and Atlantic-10.
 
The Stags have already clinched the MAAC Regular Season Championship and the top-seed in the conference championships for the fifth time in program history. They are currently a perfect 18-0 in MAAC play and the 18 conference victories are tied for the most in the country.
 
Fairfield is also tied for the national lead with 14 true road wins, which includes a 24-point win at Rutgers, the largest road margin of victory ever for a MAAC squad against a Big Ten foe on the road.
 
The Stags hold statistically the best offense and defense in the league, leading the conference in five different offensive categories. They hold the top-spot in the MAAC in: scoring offense (73.5 points per game), field goal percentage (.472), 3-pointers per game (9.0), assists (17.5), and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3).
 
They have been one of the most efficient offensive teams in the country, ranking 14th in the nation with their .472 field goal percentage. That number would be the highest in program history and the 10th best mark among any team in conference history.
 
Their lockdown defense also puts them near the top in the country, ranking in the top-10 nationally in both scoring defense (53.9) and field goal percentage defense (.352). They have held 11 opponents to fewer than 50 points in a game while limiting nine foes to shoot under 30 percent.
 
All this success has been recognized around the country as the Stags are also receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll and al currently ranked No. 7 in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll.
 
Second year Head Coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis was one of 10 selections to the inaugural Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Watch List.
 
Freshman 'Road Runner' Meghan Andersen has also enjoyed one of the best rookie campaigns in the country and has earned 10 MAAC Rookie of the Week honors, becoming just the third player in conference history to reach double-digit weekly awards.
 
The MAAC scoring leader, she was also one of 40 players to be named to the United States Basketball Writer's Association (USBWA) National Player of the Year Watch List and the only freshman ever to be selected a Mid-Major Player of the Year Semifinalist.
 
The Stags also host one of the most efficient guards in the country in senior point guard Janelle Brown who leads all guards in Division I with a .588 field goal percentage. She earned three-straight MAAC Player of the Week honors earlier this season and was a Preseason All-MAAC First Team selection.
 
Fairfield becomes just the fourth MAAC program ever to be ranked in the AP Top-25 joining: Marist (2008-09, 2011), Saint Peter's (1986), and former MAAC school La Salle (1988, 1989).
 
The Stags have two more games left in the regular season, which will be concluded at home on Saturday, March 9 with Senior Day against Rider at 2pm. Fairfield will be the top-seed in the Hercules Tires MAAC Championship, with their first game on Wednesday, March 13 at Jim Whalen Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.