FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University Women's Basketball team will tip-off their much anticipated 2025-26 season when they travel to Villanova to take on the Wildcats on Wednesday night at 7pm. The Stags enter the season receiving voted in the USA Today Preseason Top-25 Coaches Poll and were also unanimously chosen as the MAAC Preseason favorites for the second-straight season.
 
The Stags will look to continue the momentum they've built as one of the top mid-major programs in the country over the last two seasons, winning two-straight MAAC Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. Fairfield also holds a 58-7 overall record during that span, the second-highest winning percentage in the nation behind South Carolina.
 
Their historic success has been recognized around the league with all 13 MAAC coaches giving their first-place votes to the Stags in the Preseason Poll. Along with the team recognition, the Stags had five student-athletes chosen to Preseason All-MAAC teams with Janelle Brown, Kaety L'Amoreaux, and Meghan Andersen earning First Team accolades while Cyanne Coe and newcomer Alli Campbell picked up Third Team honors.
 
Andersen was also voted the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year while being recognized nationally on the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Preseason Watchlist. The junior Road Runner has had an historic start to her collegiate career with two All-MAAC First Team selections and a MAAC Championship MVP award. She is 13 points shy of reaching 1,000 in her career and would tie the program's all-time leading scorer Gail Strumpf-Cheney as the second-fastest Stag to reach the milestone (67 games).
 
Along with Andersen, the Stags will return All-MAAC Second Team honoree Kaety L'Amoreaux who started all 32 games she appeared in while averaging a career-best 12.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. Over the summer, she gained international experience by being chosen to the Team USA squad in the 3X3 FIBA Tournament.
 
The Stags will also welcome back the former MAAC Player of the Year Janelle Brown who suffered a season-ending injury during the non-conference slate. Brown will bring a wealth of experience back to the team, already tallying over 1,000 career points, nearly 300 assists, and over 200 steals in her career. During her senior season, she was named the MAAC Player of the Year and led the Stags in their Championship run by earning MAAC Championship MVP honors.
 
Fairfield also returns MAAC All-Rookie selection Cyanne Coe who led the MAAC with a .713 field goal percentage in conference games. She was joined by Penn State transfer Alli Campbell to the Preseason All-MAAC Third Team. Campbell ranked fifth in the Big Ten with 4.4 assists per game and ninth in total assists last season.
 
The Stags defeated Villanova for the first time in program history last season, overcoming a 12-point second half deficit.
 
Fairfield will challenge themselves with a difficult non-conference schedule with three different opponents (North Carolina, Iowa, and Richmond) all ranked in the AP Preseason Top-25 poll.
 
Head Coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis will enter her fourth season with the Stags, posting a 74-22 overall record and a .771 winning percentage, ranking 13th amongst all active Division I coaches. She was also selected to the Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Preseason Watchlist.
 
Fairfield will return home for their 2025-26 home opener against reigning Patriot League Champions Lehigh on Saturday at 7pm at Leo D. Mahoney Arena.