Bridgewater, NJ -- As a new season of NEC women’s golf tees off, the league’s head coaches have cast their preseason ballots, revealing a trio of familiar programs that have become fixtures near the top

2025 NEC runner-up Howard was tabbed the preseason favorite after earning nine first-place votes.

A year after bringing home its record tenth league title, FDU was picked to finish second as the Knights collected one vote for the top spot.

LIU claimed third in the rankings for the second consecutive season as the Sharks claimed the final three first-place votes. Saint Francis and Stonehill tied for fourth to round out the top five.

North Carolina Central landed in sixth with Wagner coming in at seventh. Set to compete in its inaugural NEC season, New Haven was predicted to place eighth among its new competitors.

Le Moyne was picked to finish ninth, Mercyhurst in 10th and Delaware State in 11th, while the 12th spot went to Chicago State and Maryland Eastern Shore was selected 13th.

After finishing just one stroke off the pace last spring in the closest NEC championship in league history, sixth year head coach Sam Puryear returns a strong core to help Howard take the next step in its pursuit of the program's first NEC crown. The Bison lineup is highlighted by reigning NEC Golfer of the Year and 2025 conference individual champion Paris Fieldings (Chesapeake, VA/Enlightium Academy (North Carolina A&T)) along with 2025 NEC all-stars Marley Franklin (Los Angeles, CA/Notre Dame) and Morgan Horrell (Dallas, TX/Hebron).

Howard jumped out o a strong start in 2025-26 with a pair of Bison golfers taking home NEC Golfer of the Month awards this past fall. Franklin claimed the honor in September after putting up a 74.0 stroke average across three events, including a second-place finish at the Bridgestone Collegiate Invite. Fieldings earned the accolade for her performance in October as she won the Navy Invitational after shooting one-under and finishing with a 71.5 stroke average.

Back for his 18th season at the helm, four-time NEC Coach of the Year Rob Warren aims to lead FDU to back-to-back titles for the first time since winning three straight from 2018-21. The Knights bring back five golfers from last season’s championship squad, including the 2025 NEC Rookie of the Year Michelle Yang (Sydney, Australia/Cammeraygal). Yang impressed in her debut season after she finish tied for fourth at the NEC Championship to help the Knights secure title number ten. 

Fresh off a season where its roster featured all underclassmen, LIU returns an experienced team focused on bring the Sharks to the mountaintop of NEC women’s golf for the first time since 2014. Under the direction of second year skipper and former pro Sara Detlefsen, sophomore Hailey Holbdy (Gibraltar, MI/Windermere Prepatory School (FL)) headlines LIU’s returnees. She was the highest finisher for the Sharks at last year’s conference championship, finishing 11th among 61 golfers, while LIU tied for fifth in the team competition.

The NEC Women’s Golf Championship will take place from April 17-19 at Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City, MD.

New Haven is the latest addition to NEC golf landscape after joining the league as a full member for the 2025-26 academic year. The Chargers will compete unattached at the NEC Championship.

Le Moyne and Mercyhurst remain eligible for the NEC Championship but are not able to take part in the NCAA Championship during their DI reclassification. 

Stonehill has completed its NCAA reclassification process and is now eligible to participate in the NCAA Championship this spring.

About The NEC

Now in its 45th season, the NEC is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of ten institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Chicago (#3), Boston (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#88). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, New Haven, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league's official website (www.necsports.com) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.