AMHERST, N.Y. — The East Coast Conference released its 2026-27 women's basketball preseason poll on Monday, with Daemen getting picked first.
Coming off their seventh straight ECC regular-season title and fifth straight ECC tournament championship, the Wildcats received 79 points and seven first-place votes to top the poll. Mercy was selected second with 71 points (1 first–place vote), followed by D'Youville in third with 59 points and one first-place vote. District of Columbia (45 points) ranked fourth, followed by Staten Island (43 points) in fifth, and Queens (33 points) in sixth. St. Thomas Aquinas was selected seventh (32 points), Molloy slotted in eighth (30 points), and Roberts Wesleyan rounded out the poll in ninth (13 points).
Daemen finished the 2025-26 campaign 26-4, its best record in the Wildcats' Division II era. Hosting the ECC Tournament for the sixth straight year, the Wildcats earned a 75-61 semifinal win over Staten Island. Daemen then mounted a comeback win over #2 seed Mercy, 73-68, to claim the program's fifth consecutive and sixth overall ECC Championship.
Earning the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Division II East Region Tournament, the Wildcats topped #6 seed Felician (75-62) in the regional quarterfinals and took down #2 seed Bentley (58-55) in the regional semifinals but fell to #5 Holy Family (62-78) in the East Region Finals. It was the fourth time in six seasons that Daemen reached the Sweet 16. The team was ranked 10th in the final WBCA national rankings.
The Wildcats return fifth-year forward Cecilia Lapertosa (Whitesboro, N.Y.) after she missed most of last season with an injury. Lapertosa averaged 13.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game. She shot 48.5% from the field in 14 games played. Senior Sophie Auer (Lewiston, N.Y.) earned Third Team All-ECC last season after appearing in all 30 contests, averaging 9.1 PPG on 47.4% shooting (second-best on the team). She also averaged 2.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Julia Fontanillo Aparicio (Valladolid, Spain) finished tied for fourth on the team and tied for 10th in the ECC in steals per game (1.7). The guard was also second on the team and tied for 12th in the ECC in assists per game (2.4). Kyleigh Chapman (Canandaigua, N.Y.) played in all 30 games with 17 starts, finishing fourth on the squad in rebounds per game (4.7). Brianna Caliri (Staten Island, N.Y.) averaged 10.3 minutes, 3.5 points, and 3.0 rebounds per game as a freshman last year.
Daemen opens the 2026-27 season on the road, traveling to Saginaw Valley State for a 5 p.m. game on Nov. 9.
2026-27 ECC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Daemen - 79 points (7 first-place votes)
2. Mercy - 71 points (1 first-place vote)
3. D'Youville - 59 points (1 first-place vote)
4. District of Columbia - 45 points
5. Staten Island - 43 points
6. Queens - 33 points
7. St. Thomas Aquinas - 32 points
8. Molloy - 30 points
9. Roberts Wesleyan - 13 points
Player of the Year
Nkiru Awaka - Queens
Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.
Follow the Daemen women's basketball program on Twitter and Instagram at @DaemenWBB.
