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Newark, NJ -- Going from "almost worst" to first, it's not an understatement to say that Sacred Heart defied all the odds last season. 

Now, for the first time in more than a decade, the Pioneers enter a brand-new season with the target on their backs as the team to beat in the Northeast Conference (NEC), as the league's head coaches selected Sacred Heart as the unanimous favorite to win it all in 2023-24 in their annual preseason poll. 
 

2023-24 NEC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll                      1. Sacred Heart (unanimous)                      2. Merrimack                      3. Wagner                      4. FDU                      5. Stonehill                      6. LIU                      7. Saint Francis U                      8. Le Moyne                      9. CCSU    First place votes in parentheses

Merrimack claimed the second spot in the predicted order-of-finish ahead of Wagner, last year's preseason favorite, and FDU, last season's NEC Championship runner-up.

Stonehill, which earned fifth-place status in the poll, was followed by LIU and Saint Francis U, who finished sixth and seventh, respectively. Set for its first season of NCAA Division I competition, Le Moyne came in eighth, while Central Connecticut rounded out the coaches' poll in ninth.

The NEC revealed the results of the poll, along with the five-member Preseason All-Conference team, live on ESPN3 and NEC Front Row during the #NECatthePru "Social" Media Day at the Prudential Center on Tuesday.

The Pioneers rode the coat tails of freshman sensation and Triple Crown winner Ny'Ceara Pryor and exceeded all expectations, ascending from the bottom of the pack in the preseason rankings to the pinnacle of the NEC at year's end in 2022-23. 

Sacred Heart's talent and veteran head coach make it easy to understand why the league's coaches chose the Pioneers to run it back as league champs in 2024. The Pioneers bring back eight letterwinners — including all five starters and each of the squad's top six scorers — from the 2022-23 team that not only ended an 11-year title draught in Fairfield but made NEC history by becoming the first-ever women's team to earn a win in the NCAA Tournament.

In addition to Pryor, a 5-foot-2 do-it-all guard who led the entire nation in steals as a rookie, preseason All-NEC selection Sajada Bonner and 2023 All-Rookie team pick Amelia Wood headline the list of returnees.

Beginning on Saturday, January 6, each NEC team will contest a 16-game league schedule with the top-eight teams in the final standings advancing to the postseason conference tournament. The 2024 Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Tournament will unfold entirely at campus sites of the higher seeded teams on March 11, 14 and 17. 

For the 17th season running, the NEC Women's Basketball Championship Game will reach a national audience via ESPNU. 

After careful consideration and in response to feedback from the membership, the NEC Presidents' Council unanimously voted to eliminate access restrictions to NEC championships during an institution's transition to DI. As a result, current reclassifying institutions Le Moyne and Stonehill will be immediately eligible to compete in the NEC postseason starting in the 2023-24 academic year. This decision aimed to improve the student-athlete experience and bolster recruitment and retention efforts. By taking this proactive approach, the NEC is committed to prioritizing the mental health, welfare and opportunities of its student-athletes throughout the conference.

If a reclassifying institution wins the NEC Tournament championship, the tournament runner-up will advance to the NCAA Tournament as the NEC's automatic qualifier as per current policy.  In instances where two reclassifying members reach an NEC final in men's and women's basketball, women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis and women's volleyball, the NEC will stage an "AQ Qualifier" game between the two non-advancing semifinal teams. This will serve as a decisive game to determine the team that will secure the NEC's spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Sacred Heart
Predicted NEC Finish: 1st
2022-23 Overall Record: 19-14
2022-23 NEC Record/NEC Finish 12-4/2nd
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 8/5
Starters Returning/Lost: 5/0

Returning Players to Watch:
Ny'Ceara Pryor (So, G, 5-3): 17.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 33.7 mpg, 43.2 FG%, 66.8 FT%, 4.3 apg, 3.7 spg
Sajada Bonner (Gr, G, 6-0): 10.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 32.5 mpg, 33.7 FG%, 30.3 3FG%, 74.6 FT%, 0.9 apg, 0.9 spg

Three-Sentence Preview:
Boasting a star-studded returning backcourt highlighted by one of the nation's most tenacious on-and-off-the-ball defenders in Ny'Ceara Pryor (Baltimore, MD/Western), Sacred Heart is in prime position to run it back as NEC champs for the first time in program history in 2023-24. With the return of Pryor, last season's Triple Crown winner who averaged a team-leading 17.8 points per game, the guard position has some serious depth for 11th-year head coach Jessica Mannatti with the likes of All-NEC preseason pick Sajada Bonner (Cliffwood, NJ/St. John Vianney (Quinnipiac)) and fellow guards Amelia Wood (Wynantskill, NY/Averill Park), Olivia Tucker (Newark, DE/Sanford School (St. Bonaventure)) and Sierra Johnson (Richmond, VA/TPLS Christian Academy) coming back this season. Accounting for nearly 77 percent of the Pioneers' offense, including all but all but 13 of their 170 made triples last season, that quintet should do some serious damage to the scoreboard in league play.

Merrimack
Predicted NEC Finish: 2nd
2022-23 Overall Record: 15-16
2022-23 NEC Record/NEC Finish 10-6/3rd
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 8/5
Starters Returning/Lost: 4/1

Returning Players to Watch:
Jayme DeCesare (Gr, G, 5-5): 10.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 33.9 mpg, 35.8 FG%, 30.6 3FG%, 76.2 FT%, 3.4 apg, 1.5 spg
Kaylee Thomas (Gr, G, 5-9): 11.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 29.2 mpg, 36.2 FG%, 33.3 3FG%, 83.3 FT%, 1.8 apg, 1.1 spg

Three-Sentence Preview: 
Merrimack has many of the key pieces still in place from a 2022-23 squad that took a defiant stab at a title run but came seven points short in the semifinals at eventual league champs Sacred Heart in the program's first year of NEC Tournament eligibility. A bulk of last season's scoring returns by way of All-NEC Preseason Team selections Jayme DeCesare (Johnston, RI/La Salle Academy) and Kaylee Thomas (North Chelmsford, MA/Central Catholic), as well as Diamond Christian (Bronx, NY/The Pennington School) and Amaya Staton (Lorain, OH/Cleveland State). In addition to that experienced mix of guards who averaged 34.4 points per game and have combined for 14 years in Warriors' uniforms, eight newcomers will be added to the mix for head coach Kelly Morone as she returns for a highly-anticipated fourth season in North Andover.

Wagner
Predicted NEC Finish: 3rd
2022-23 Overall Record: 13-5
2022-23 NEC Record/NEC Finish 8-8/5th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 7/5
Starters Returning/Lost: 1/4

Returning Players to Watch:
Julia Fabozzi (Sr, G, 6-1): 7.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 22.0 mpg, 38.8 FG%, 0.9 apg
Marisa Sanchez-Henry (R-Jr, F, 6-1): 4.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 18.8 mpg, 38.6 FG%, 1.6 apg

Three-Sentence Preview:
With the loss of four starters, Wagner will have a completely different look in 2023-24 with eight brand-new players joining the roster for third-year head coach Terrell Coburn. A regular in the starting rotation who averaged 7.2 ppg in her first season on Grymes Hill, Julia Fabozzi (Staten Island, NY/Xaverian (Providence)) will look to help the Seahawks rise to the top of the NEC standings and to their first league title since 1989. A trio of transfer guards in junior Paige Lyons (Atlanta, GA/Dutchtown (East Carolina)), grad student Taleah Washington (District Heights, MD/Forestville & Rock Creek (Old Dominion)) and junior Semie Brar (Fresno, CA/Chandler Park Academy (Laney College)) will add experience to the Wagner backcourt.

FDU
Predicted NEC Finish: 4th
2022-23 Overall Record: 24-8
2022-23 NEC Record/NEC Finish 14-2/1st
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 5/10
Starters Returning/Lost: 3/2

Players to Watch:
Teneisia Brown (Sr, F/C, 6-2): 10.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 20.4 mpg, 47.8 FG% (stats from 2021-22 season at Merrimack)
Abby Conklin (Sr, G, 5-7): 3.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 14.4 mpg, 1.1 apg, 38.8 FG%, 35.4 3FG%, 75.0 FT%

Three-Sentence Preview: 
The two-time defending NEC regular season champs will heavily rely on a crop of new faces and a brand new, but familiar, leader to keep the title on the banks of the Hackensack in 2023-24. The 12th winningest coach in NCAA Division I history with nine career NCAA tournament appearances, Stephanie Gaitley begins her first season with the Knights boasting a combined 38 years of head coaching experience that includes stops a former NEC programs LIU Brooklyn (2002-08) and Monmouth (2008-11). Gaitley's roster has been bolstered by eight players who will be making their NEC debuts, as well as Merrimack transfer Teneisia Brown (Montego Bay, Jamaica/Mount Vernon/St. Andrew's), who totaled 296 points and made 22 starts in two years with the Warriors in 2020-21 and 2021-22. 

Stonehill
Predicted NEC Finish: 5th
2022-23 Overall Record: 9-20
2022-23 NEC Record/NEC Finish 5-11/t-7th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 5/6
Starters Returning/Lost: 1/4

Returning Players to Watch:
Cameron Ward (Sr, F, 5-10): 6.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 20.4 mpg, 44.7 FG%, 37.5 3FG%, 78.3 FT%
Maureen Stapleton: (Jr, F, 6-0): 2.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 16.6 mpg, 39.8 FG%

Three-Sentence Preview: 
Stonehill won five games in its NEC debut but was often on the brink of doing even more damage, with seven of their nine defeats being decided by 10 points or fewer, including five contests that were one- or two-possession games. It will be a rebuilding year for longtime head coach Trisha Brown, though, with the graduation of a foursome that accounted for 71.7 percent of the Skyhawks' offense (43.0 ppg) last season. There will be big shoes to fill in the back court with the departure of sharpshooter Emily Bramanti, a fifth-year who made 14 more triples than the next closest competitor, but Cameron Ward (Bound Brook, NJ/Bound Brook), who started in 10 non-conference games in 2022-23, has potential to help fill that void in the backcourt. 

LIU
Predicted NEC Finish: 6th
2022-23 Overall Record: 7-22
2022-23 NEC Record/NEC Finish 5-11/t-7th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 7/9
Starters Returning/Lost: 3/2

Returning Players to Watch:
Ashley Austin (Sr, G, 5-6): 12.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 25.6 mpg, 43.1 FG%, 1.8 apg, 1.3 spg
Emaia O'Brien (Jr, G, 5-1): 9.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 23.8 mpg, 34.1 FG%, 77.2 FT%, 1.6 apg, 1.1 spg

Three-Sentence Preview:
Hitting its stride late, LIU entered the 2023 NEC Tournament as one of the league's hottest teams, as the Sharks ripped off wins in five of their final six games before meeting up with eventual champion Sacred Heart in the opening round of the postseason. During that late-season turnaround, head coach Rene Haynes' squad averaged 66.2 points per game, nearly a 10-point boost from their season average of 56.7 ppg. Senior guard Ashley Austin (Compton, CA/Lynwood (Texas Southern)), a 2022-23 All-NEC performer who quickly made a statement as one of the most consistent — and versatile —scorers in the league, will look to make an even bigger impact in her second season in Brooklyn. 

Saint Francis U
Predicted NEC Finish: 7th
2022-23 Overall Record: 7-22
2022-23 NEC Record/NEC Finish 6-10/6th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 7/7
Starters Returning/Lost: 1/4

Returning Players to Watch:
Destini Ward (So, G, 5-8): 7.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 27.3 mpg, 32.4 FG%, 30.5 3FG%, 69.1 FT%, 1.2 apg
Kaitlyn Maxwell (R-Jr, G, 5-7): 8.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 29.3 mpg, 43.6 FG%, 40.5 3-FG%, 74.2 FT%, 1.9 apg
* - Stats from 2021-22 season

Three-Sentence Preview:
A tall task lies in front of an extremely youthful Saint Francis U squad that looks to end the NEC's winningest program's five-year title draught. With a pair of juniors serving as the most experienced returners, fifth-year head coach Keila Whittington will rely on five sophomores, six freshman and a junior college transfer to fill several voids left in the lineup. Redshirt junior Kaitlyn Maxwell (Everett, PA/Everett), who emerged as a three-point threat in 2021-22 but missed the entire 2022-23 campaign with an injury, is expected to be a big contributor for the Red Flash in her return to the back court.

Le Moyne
Predicted NEC Finish: 8th
2022-23 Overall Record: 21-7*
2022-23 NEC Record/NEC Finish 16-4/1st (NE-10)
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 8/1
Starters Returning/Lost: 5/0
*- Division II member

Players to Watch:
Lytoya Baker (5th-Year, G, 5-9): 12.8 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 37.8 FG%, 2.8 apg
Haedyn Roberts (R-Jr, F, 6-1): 12.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 47.1 FG%, 88.0 FT%, 0.7 bpg

Three-Sentence Preview: 
Le Moyne departed the Northeast-10 as one of the league's most dominant teams during head coach Mary Grimes' brief tenure in the Heights, and the Dolphins hope to continue that success in their debut season with the NEC. In two years, Grimes led Le Moyne to a pair of Northeast-10 regular season titles and back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. All five starters and eight total players return from a 2022-23 squad that went 21-7, including fifth-year guard Lytoya Baker (Rochester, NY/Bishop Kearney), who averaged a double-double on 12.8 points and 10.7 rebounds per game a season ago.

CCSU
Predicted NEC Finish: 9th
2022-23 Overall Record: 7-22
2022-23 NEC Record/NEC Finish 3-13/9th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 5/4
Starters Returning/Lost: 2/3

Returning Players to Watch:
Belle Lanpher (Sr, G, 5-5): 13.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.3 spg, 44.1 FG%, 34.1 3FG%, 85.0 FT%
Meghan Kenefick (Sr, F, 6-0): 6.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 35.2 FG%, 88.2 FT%, 1.6 apg, 0.9 spg

Three-Sentence Preview: 
It's the start of a new era for Central Connecticut women's basketball with the arrival of first-year head coach Way Veney back in April. The longtime Temple assistant inherited one of the league's most lethal shooting guards and arguably the reigning "breakout player of the year" in senior Belle Lanpher (Princeton, MA/Wachusett Regional), as well as a steady contributor in the front court in senior Meghan Kenefick (Oakton, VA/Saint Paul VI Catholic (Cleveland State)), who returns as the NEC's top rebounder. Once Lanpher got going, the 2022-23 second teamer and 2023-24 Preseason All-NEC pick was virtually impossible to stop thanks to her quick release and her ability to create shots off the dribble. 

About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 43rd season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout five states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Boston (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#34) and Syracuse (#85). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 24 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 15 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Central Connecticut, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league's official website official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.