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Bridgewater, NJ -- Two NEC women’s basketball squads are heading to the postseason as both FDU and Mercyhurst will represent the league in two different national tournaments.

After completing another historic season, FDU is set to make it back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. The Knights clinched the conference’s automatic bid after taking home its second straight conference championship and fourth overall last Sunday. With the tournament title, FDU completed consecutive unbeaten seasons against conference foes – becoming just the second team to so in conference history and first to end each undefeated campaign with a conference championship. On its way to tying the NEC record with 30 overall wins, the Knights set another league mark with 37 straight NEC regular seasons victories.

FDU enters the Big Dance with hopes of knocking off second-seeded Iowa for its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory. The Knights, who have been untouched for 22 games for the nation’s third longest win streak, battle the Hawkeyes as a 15 seed – marking the second straight year FDU is seeded 15^th – on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. on ESPN.

In just its first year of NEC Tournament eligibility, Mercyhurst qualified for its first-ever national postseason tournament. Advancing to the conference semifinals in just its second season as a league member, the Lakers will look to add onto their historic season when they take on Binghamton in the First Round of the WNIT. Mercyhurst earned the conference’s automatic bid to the tournament by finishing tied for second in the league standings with a program-best 14-4 mark and earning the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament.

Mercyhurst hosts the Bearcats on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. on NEC Front Row.

#NECWBB NOTEBOOK: 2026 NCAA TOURNAMENT

BACK-TO-BACK
FDU is back in the big dance for the second straight year. Last season, the Knights were also a 15-seed and took on No. 2 TCU. 

TWO IN A ROW
FDU repeated as NEC champs this year after going unbeaten against conference foes in back-to-back seasons. Winning the NEC Tournament in the conference’s fourth year of sponsoring women’s basketball in 1990, the Knights hung another banner in the rafters in 1992. The Knights have won four NEC Tournament titles, which is second-most among current conference members. 

KNIGHTS VS. HAWKEYES
This is the second all-time meeting between FDU and Iowa. The two squads previously met on 11/06/23 in Iowa City, IA. THe Hawkeyes defeated the Knights in the first match up. 

FDU VS. THE BIG TEN
Against the 18 teams that currently make up the Big 12 Conference, FDU has faced three of those squads, including two in the season: Iowa (0-1), Purdue (0-1) and Rutgers (0-7). The Knights own a 0-9 record against Big Ten squads. FDU played both Purdue and Rutgers this season. The only common opponent FDU and Iowa share from this past season is the Boilermakers, who the Hawkeyes defeated on 02/19/26. 

NEC VS. THE BIG TEN
Four other NEC teams faced off Big Ten teams this season, including Wagner (Rutgers), Mercyhurst (Michigan State), Le Moyne (Illinois) and Central Connecticut (Maryland). Big Ten squads won all match ups against NEC programs.

HISTORY LESSON
The Knights are the first NEC team to earn a No. 15 seed or higher in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments since Saint Francis in 2010 (#15) and 2011 (#13). FDU is also the first team to be a 15 seed two years in a row since SFU in 2003 and 2004.

KNIGHTS SLAY THE CONFERENCE SLATE
For the second straight year, FDU ran through conference slate to finish the season with a perfect 18-0 record. It marked the eighth time in NEC annals that a squad went undefeated against league opponents and just the second time a team has done it in back-to-back seasons.  

COMPLETING THE RUN
Going 18-0 in the regular season and storming through the NEC Tournament with three wins by a combined 67 points, the Knights achieved perfection in the NEC in 2025-26 with a 21-0 record against league squads. They became the eighth squad to turn the trick and go undefeated against conference foes in both the regular season and the postseason. Monmouth (1988) is the only team to go undefeated in the conference regular season and come up empty in its pursuit of the tournament title. FDU also became the first NEC team to go unbeaten in back-to-back seasons and finish both seasons with a conference tournament title.

FOUR SCORE
FDU head coach Stephanie Gaitley, the NEC Brenda Reilly Coach of the Year, became just the fourth head coach in NCAA Division I history to coach four different teams to the Big Dance. The third-year FDU skipper, who will be making her 11th NCAA Tournament appearance as a head coach, accomplished the feat at Richmond (1990, 1991), Saint Joseph’s (1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000), Fordham (2014, 2019) and FDU (2025, 2026)

A SEASONED VETERAN
Stephanie Gaitley is no stranger to the spotlight of the NEC Tournament championship game. The NEC staple, who has combined for 11 years of head coaching experience in the league with prior stints at LIU and Monmouth, coached in her fourth title game in 2026. With FDU’s win over LIU on Championship Sunday, Gaitley added a ring from a NEC squad to her collection for the second time in her career.

POSTSEASON KNIGHTS
The Knights will be dancing in their second straight NCAA Tournament. FDU previously made postseason appearances in the WNIT during the 2022 and 2023 campaigns. The Knights have been seeded 15th in both of their NCAA Tournament appearances. 

THE GENERAL
FDU’s floor general Ava Renninger (Yardley, PA/Archbishop Wood) has shown up big time for the Knights in the postseason so far this year. The sophomore guard claimed NEC Tournament MVP honors after averaging 17.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game, including a 13-point, 10-rebound and six-assist outing in the title game. 

DROPPIN’ DIMES
All-NEC first teamer Ava Renninger finished the season as the conference’s assist leader with 5.2 per game and a total of 178 on the season. Her assist total is 20th in the nation while her per game average is 27th nationally.

Renninger landed on the All-Conference first team in back-to-back seasons. She was also NEC Rookie of the Year during her freshman season.

HOME SWEET HACKENSACK
The confines of Bogota Savings Bank Center in Hackensack provided quite the home court advantage for FDU this year. The Knights were one of 27 teams nationwide to have just one loss at home this season. Tacking on three wins in the NEC Tournament to compile an 18-1 record inside the Bogota Savings Bank Center, the Knights have won 13-straight games at home dating back to December 29.

That rally is tied for the ninth-longest active home winning streak in the nation. 

THE BIG 3-0
For the secod straight year, FDU has set a new program record in wins with 30 overall victories. The Knights’ 30 wins are also tied for the most-ever by a NEC team - tying the previous record set by 2013 Quinnipiac.

The Knights (30-4) are one of six teams nationwide to register at least 30 wins this season, joining UConn (34), UCLA (31), Murray State (31), Texas (31) and South Carolina (31).

All six teams are dancing in this year’s NCAA Tournament.

MID-MAJOR RANKINGS
FDU enters the postseason with the program’s best ranking this season in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. On Tuesday, the Knights moved up six spots from the No. 25 spot that they held down for two weeks to the No. 19 spot. Cracking the poll for the first time since last season with a No. 25 ranking on March 3, FDU has appeared in the Mid-Major Top 25 in each of the past two weeks.

FDU reached as high as No. 15 in the poll last season.

GOING STREAKING
Winners of 22 straight games, FDU holds the third-longest active streak in the nation and has been untouched for almost three months. Only No. 1 seeds UConn (50) and UCLA (25) own longer winning streaks.

The Knights also set a league record for the most consecutive NEC regular season victories with 37 stretching from February 29, 2024 to March 5, 2026. Additionally, FDU has claimed 40 straight overall victories over NEC foes after tacking on three more wins in this year’s NEC Tournament.

PRESEASON POLL REWIND
The league’s head coaches were on track with their preseason prediction of the top finisher in the NEC standings. Picked first in the poll, FDU lived up to the hype by finishing first in the NEC regular season standings with an undefeated record and claiming NEC Tournament championship for the second straight year.

#1 SEED HISTORY
In the 30 years since the NEC discontinued the six-team bracket, the No. 1 seed has won 21 times and has only missed the final on six occasions. The top seed is 24-6 all-time in the title game.

GOOD COMPANY
With their second straight undefeated conference regular season, the Knights find themselves in good company.

FDU is one of two teams in the nation to have back-to-back unbeaten regular seasons in their respective conferences - joining No. 1 UConn (BIG EAST). The Knights are also one of just three teams in DI to be unbeaten in league play this season (No. 1 UConn and No. 2 UCLA). 

TOP-10
FDU ranks seventh nationally in winning percentage with a .882 percentage off a 30-4 overall record.

LOCKDOWN DEFENSE
The Knights boast one of the top scoring defense’s in the country - allowing just 51.3 points per game. FDU ranks third in the nation. The only team that allows fewer points per game than the Knights is No. 1 UConn (50.4).

HEY NOW, YOU’RE AN ALL STAR
There will be no shortage of NEC star power in Friday’s first round game against Iowa.

The contest will feature the following NEC all-stars:

NEC Defensive Player of the Year: Madlena Gerke
All-NEC First Team: Ava Renninger
All-NEC Second Team: Madlena Gerke
All-NEC Second Team: Kailee McDonald
All-Defensive Team: Madlena Gerke
All-Defensive Team: Kailee McDonald
All-Rookie Team: Leah Crosby
NEC Tournament MVP: Ava Renninger
NEC All-Tournament Team: Leah Crosby

THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE
FDU ranks among the nation’s top 50 in a plethora of statistics:

Category Stat (Ranking)
FG Percentage Defense 35.1 (8th)
Fouls Per Game 13.8 (29th)
Rebound Margin 9.6 (11th)
Rebounds (Off.) Per Game 14.2 (39th)
Rebound Per Game 40.5 (40th)
Scoring Defense 51.3 (3rd)
Scoring Margin 17.8 (16th)
3-PT Attempts Per Game 26.6 (15th)
3-Point Percentage 34.8 (35th)
3-Pointers Per Game 9.3 (9th)
Turnovers Per Game 13.3 (44th)

THREE-IN-A-ROW
FDU became the third consecutive team to win back-to-back NEC Tournament titles as the last six conference champions have been repeats.

The Knights joined Mount St. Mary’s (2021 & 2022) and Sacred Heart (2023 & 2024) as repeat champions in the past six seasons. 

BACK ON THE ROAD
Saturday’s NCAA Tournament game marks the first time FDU will play a road game since February 21 when the Knights visited New Haven in a conference contest.

FDU is coming off six straight home games with three of those being NEC Tournament games. The Knights own a 12-3 record on the road this season.

LAST TIME
The last time FDU played a Big Ten team, the Knights nearly knocked off in-state rival Rutgers on the road. The Scarlet Knights prevailed on November 16 - winning by just 10 points.

#NECWBB NOTEBOOK: 2026 POSTSEASON WNIT

LAKERS SAIL INTO THE WNIT
Mercyhurst earned an automatic bid to the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) last Saturday due to its current status as an NCAA Division I reclassifying institution. It marks the Lakers’ first-ever postseason appearance at the Division I level. Mercyhurst clinched the league’s automatic bid to the tournament by claiming the No. 2 seed in the conference postseason and due to not receiving a bid to the NCAA Tournament or WBIT as it is still reclassifying to DI. 

This is the third-straight season that a reclassifying institution from the NEC receives an invite to the WNIT. Both Le Moyne (2024) and Stonehill (2025) have represented the league in the WNIT the past two seasons as both teams finished as the conference tournament runner-up and were also seeded second.

MERCYHURST IN THE POSTSEASON
This is Mercyhurst’s first-ever trip to the postseason as a Division I program. During its time as a member of Division II, the Lakers made three NCAA Division II Tournament appearances in 1994, 1995 and 2017. 

In the NCAA DII Tournament, the Lakers own a 4-3 record and have advanced as far as the Elite Eight in 1995.

ROUND TWO
Mercyhurst and Binghamton will cross paths for the first time in 25 years and the second time in program history. 

The two teams first met on February 5, 2001 where the Bearcats prevailed in Erie, 85-70. This is the first time the two squads will meet in the Lakers’ DI era.

NEC VS. BINGHAMTON
NEC champion FDU was the only squad to take on the Bearcats this season. Binghamton defeated the Knights in Hackensack, 62-51, on December 29, 2025.

FDU was the last NEC squad to take down the Bearcats as the Knights won 63-40 on December 1, 2021. Since then, Binghamton has gone 2-0 againt NEC squads starting with a win over LIU during the 2024-25 campaign.

NEC VS. AMERICA EAST
This season, NEC squads combined for an 1-12 record against America East teams. 

FDU earned the league’s lone win over an America East squad - taking down NJIT, 71-43, on the road. CCSU faced off with four AE teams, including Bryant, UMass Lowell, Vermont and New Hampshire. Stonehill battled both Bryant and Maine, whil New Haven took on the Riverhawks and New Hampshire. Wagner also played the Highlandes, while Saint Francis matched up with the Black Bears, as well.

LIU was the closest to picking up another victory of the AE for the NEC as the Sharks fell on the road to UMass Lowell, 73-72, in overtime. 

HITTING THEIR STRIDE
Mercyhurst enters the WNIT winners in seven of their last eight games, dating back to 
February 14. The Lakers’ semifinal loss to third-seeded LIU snapped a seven-game win streak, which was the team’s longest of the season.

EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
The Lakers proved many doubters wrong in 2025-26. Picked to finish sixth in the annual Preseason Coaches’ Poll, Mercyhurst exceeded all expectations. 

Posting an 14-4 record gainst conference competitors, a 12-win improvement from a year ago, Mercyhurst earned the No. 2 seed in the NEC Tournament, marking the highest postseason positioning in the program’s Division I history.

TURNING THE BEAT AROUND
Mercyhurst has posted an impressive single-season turnaround in 2025-26.

In their second season as an NEC and NCAA Division I member, Mercyhurst improved its overall win total by six.

The Lakers made an incredible in-season turnaround, as well, after going winless in non-conference play. With conference play starting on January 2, Mercyhurst went 14-4 during the  conference slate and are 15-4 since January 4.

FIRST POSTSEASON WIN
Mercyhurst made program history this season by earning the program’s first-ever win in the NEC Tournament. The Lakers took down No. 7 Stonehill in a thrilling 70-64 quarterfinal victory during its conference postseason debut.

Mercyhurst was ineligible for the NEC Tournament in their first season as a league member in 2024-25.

STARPOWER
There will be no shortage of NEC all-stars in Thursday’s WNIT matchup against Binghamton, as two of the league’s six major award winners will suit up in the postseason for the first time in their careers.

The Postseason WNIT matchup features the following NEC award winners:

NEC Rookie of the Year: Sofia Wilson
NEC Most Improved Player: Cici Hernandez
All-NEC First Team: Cici Hernandez
All-NEC First Team: Jenna Van Schaik 
All-Rookie Team: Sofia Wilson
NEC All-Tournament Team: Jenna Van Schaik

NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Mercyhurst is the first NEC team to host a WNIT game since Quinnipiac hosted Iona in the first round of the 2008 tournament.

The Lakers are 7-8 at home this season, but have won five of their last six at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.

SHARP SHOOTERS
The Lakers cash in on 9.2 three-pointers per game, which ranks 11th in the nation. 

Lena Walz led the league in three-point field goal percentage (39.0), while the NEC’s Most Improved Player Cici Hernandez ranked second in the conference with 2.7 three’s made per game. 

LENDING A HAND
Two of the Lakers’ guards rank in the top-three for assists per game in the conference. Van Schaik (3.3) and Wilson (3.2) are second and third in NEC apg rankings, respectively.