PHOENIX, Ariz. – Fairfield University Women's Basketball Head Coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis was named one of eight finalists for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division I National Coach of the Year award. Coach Carly led the Stags to their third-straight MAAC Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance while also earning a national-ranking for the second time in the last three campaigns.
 
"It is an honor to be recognized amongst the best coaches in our game," Coach Carly said. "This distinction carries even greater meaning as it shines a light on Fairfield and the incredible people whose investment and belief continue to elevate both our women's basketball program and our academic mission. What we are building here is so special and I am grateful for our Fairfield village as we collaborate to create a unique program and do it our way." 
 
Coach Carly and the Stags garnered a No. 25 national ranking in the last few weeks of the Associated Press (AP) Top-25 poll after notching a 28-5 overall record and a 19-1 mark in the MAAC. That success helped the Stags to win their third-straight conference title and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Stags held one of the best offenses in program history, setting the program single-season standard with 2,476 points scored. They were one of the top shooting teams in the country, while setting a conference record with 373 3-pointers made. Their 373 triples were the most in the nation and tied for the 11th most in Division I history.
 
The Stags were also ranked in the top-10 in the country with their .369 3-point shooting percentage while having five student-athletes with 40 or more made threes. 
 
The Stags' selfless brand of basketball also had them among the national leaders as they ranked in the top-20 in Division in both assists per game (17.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.32).
 
The Stags earned to their highest seed ever in the tournament, grabbing an 11-seed this year. Fairfield was one of only three teams in the tournament to have won three-straight conference titles.
 
Coach Carly has maintained a .791 winning percentage over her four seasons with Fairfield, marking the seventh-highest percentage among active Division I head coaches. Included in those wins are victories against 15-different conferences including the: ACC, SEC, Big East, and Big Ten.
 
Vanderbilt's Shea Ralph was awarded the WBCA Division I National Coach of the Year with seven others being named finalists. Coach Carly joined the list that included: UCLA's Cori Close, Iowa's Jan Jensen, West Virginia's Mark Kellogg, Duke's Kara Lawson, South Carolina's Dawn Staley, and Rice's Lindsay Smith-Edmonds.