The CAA enters 2026-27 as a 13-team league, and the offseason has centered on the transfer portal. Charleston, the regular-season and tournament champion, lost back-to-back Player of the Year Taryn Barbot, her twin Taylor, and Defensive Player of the Year Grace Ezebilo, and coach Robin Harmony left for Pitt. Campbell also changed coaches, and its Rookie of the Year went to Florida State. That leaves a wide-open race, and Monmouth, which returns its three best players and added one of the Big West’s top scorers, looks like the new favorite.
The Big Picture
Charleston is the biggest domino. The Cougars won a program-record 27 games and made their first NCAA Tournament, then watched nearly everything leave. Taryn Barbot led the CAA in scoring at 20.1 points and set a program single-season record with 664, and she and her twin Taylor, a first-team All-CAA guard, both went to Pitt. Amanda Butler takes over a near-total rebuild. Campbell is in a similar spot on a smaller scale as Ali Jaques replaces Ronny Fisher, and Rookie of the Year Jasmine Nivar, All-Rookie center N’Na Konate, and guard Ciara Alexander all transferred.
Plenty of other teams sustained major losses. Drexel lost first-team All-CAA guard Amaris Baker and Dean Ehlers Award winner Grace O’Neill; Towson lost Sixth Player of the Year India Johnston and Kayla Morris; North Carolina A&T lost first-team All-CAA center Chaniya Clark, and Stony Brook and Hofstra rebuilt almost entirely through the portal. The teams best positioned to take advantage kept their stars: Monmouth with Gigi Gamble, Divine Dibula, and Madalena Amaro; William & Mary with Cassidy Geddes and a deep group of returners; Elon with LaNae’ Corbett and Ashanti Fox; and Hampton with Kayla Lezama.
Skim Milkey’s Predicted 2026-27 Order of Finish
1 - Monmouth
2 - William & Mary
3 - Elon
4 - Drexel
5 - Stony Brook
6 - North Carolina A&T
7 - Campbell
8 - Charleston
9 - Towson
10 - Hofstra
11 - Northeastern
12 - Hampton
13 - UNC Wilmington
Skim Milkey’s Preseason All-Conference Team
Tyja Beans, G, Charleston
Laine McGurk, G, Drexel
Ashanti Fox, G, Elon
LaNae’ Corbett, F, Elon
Kayla Lezama, G, Hampton
Paloma Garcia Rosado, G, Hofstra
Divine Dibula, F, Monmouth
Gigi Gamble, G, Monmouth
Madalena Amaro, G, Monmouth
Vanessa McManus, G, Monmouth
Paris Locke, F, North Carolina A&T
Camryn Collins, G, Northeastern
Ava Renninger, G, Towson
Cassidy Geddes, G, William & Mary
Natalie Fox, F, William & Mary
Monmouth
Record: 21-12, 12-6 CAA (4th, tie, WNIT appearance)
Coach: Cait Wetmore, 3rd season, 37-27
Monmouth is my pick because they did something almost nobody else near the top of the CAA managed: they held onto their best players. Cait Wetmore led the Hawks to 21 wins in her second year, the program’s first 20-win season in 15 years and its fifth ever, plus a CAA quarterfinal and a WNIT second-round trip. Senior guard Alexis Andrews, a 30-game starter, and senior forward Ella Farrelly are gone, and Alexis Davis transferred to Norfolk State, but the top three all stayed.
Gigi Gamble earned first-team All-CAA honors with 15.2 points a game (fourth in the league), and dropped a career-high 41 on Towson, the second-most in Monmouth history. Forward Divine Dibula was a second-team All-CAA pick at 13.9 points and 6.9 rebounds, and sophomore guard Madalena Amaro made the All-Rookie Team as a primary facilitator. The question was who provided the scoring behind those two, and Wetmore answered it with Cal Poly guard Vanessa McManus, who averaged 15.6 points a night in the Big West. Delaware transfer Kailah Correa started 28 games as a freshman and added 9.7 points; forward Sanai Tyler arrives from Bethune-Cookman, sophomore Kathy Kersaint is back, and Swedish freshman forward Kalina Krupnikovic is the one notable newcomer who didn’t come through the portal. Sophomore forward Tessa Carman, redshirt juniors Sydney Hendrix and Kellyn Preira, redshirt freshman Claudia Xaudaro and freshman Lexi Carnegie round out the 13-player roster.
Expectations are upon Monmouth for the first time in a while, and they shouldn’t surprise anyone this year. The new guards have to find their spots early. Even so, a first-teamer, a second-teamer, an All-Rookie pick, and a 15-point scorer from the Big West is more than any other team in the conference can claim. Health will be the main thing standing between the Hawks and a first NCAA bid.
Players to watch: Gigi Gamble, Divine Dibula, Vanessa McManus, Madalena Amaro
William & Mary
Record: 17-14, 9-9 CAA (8th)
Coach: Erin Dickerson Davis, 5th season, 66-60
Nobody in the CAA will rely on continuity more than William & Mary. Erin Dickerson Davis, who won the 2025 CAA Tournament as a No. 9 seed and enters her fifth season, has a 13-player roster made up almost entirely of players who already know her system. The Tribe went 17-14 and 9-9, took the No. 8 seed, and lost 58-55 to eventual champion Charleston in the quarterfinals. Senior guard Alexa Mikeska, who started all 30 games, and forwards Jana Sallman and Kyah Smith are the main departures.
The offense runs through Cassidy Geddes, the second-team All-CAA guard and CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year, who averaged 13.7 points per game and became the 23rd player in program history to reach 1,000 points. Senior Monet Dance returns as the table-setter after leading the team with 104 assists and averaging 9.5 points per game. Junior forward Natalie Fox started all 30 games she played and led the Tribe in rebounding at 5.8 per game. Sophomore forward Dynasti Pierce is the likeliest to take a step, with juniors Marley Long, Sophia LeGoullon and Emma West and sophomores Jordyn Steindl, Ari Mercado and Amelia Basit behind her. Senior forward Aisha Dos Santos, a Brazilian who came over from Odessa College, is back too, and the only additions are freshmen Denver Carlton and Skyla Mastronardi.
A star guard, a distributor, a rebounder, and depth that has played CAA minutes together is a great formula for making a run at a conference title. Scoring beyond Geddes is what prevents me from picking them to win the league. The Tribe’s offense can stall, and nobody else on the roster has shown they can create their own shot consistently. Few teams in the league can match this much continuity, and if a few more scorers emerge, the Tribe have a chance to win the league.
Players to watch: Cassidy Geddes, Monet Dance, Natalie Fox, Dynasti Pierce
Elon
Record: 16-16, 10-8 CAA (6th, tie)
Coach: Charlotte Smith, 16th season, 237-215
Elon is the most interesting rising team in the CAA. Charlotte Smith, the former North Carolina national champion entering her 16th season with the Phoenix, has a young group that played heavy minutes in 2025-26, and most of the players behind the 16-16 finish are now sophomores and juniors. Maraja Pass, a 31-game starter, left for North Carolina A&T, and seniors Laila Anderson, Quinzia Fulmore and Ruby Willard all played in the rotation.
Third-team All-CAA forward LaNae’ Corbett transferred in from Hofstra and averaged 11.5 points on 47.7 percent shooting. Guard Ashanti Fox was an All-Rookie pick with three Rookie of the Week nods, and sophomore forward/center Tamia Watkins made the All-Rookie Team alongside her. Graduate guard Tyana Walker started 30 games, and fifth-year guard Kamryn Doty is back. Redshirt sophomore Jayda Angel, who played only two games last season, adds a perimeter scoring option. Juniors Kierra Morrow, Samira Khalil and Ashlee Shaw are in the mix, and the newcomers are all freshmen: Sidney Smith, Skylar Bolden, Norah Fuld, Savannah Whitley and Macayla Askew.
The argument for Elon climbing is mostly age. Fox and Watkins produced as freshmen, Corbett is established, and Smith has a long record of developing players. Frontcourt depth and shooting consistency are the concerns over an 18-game league schedule. Elon was a 16-16 team that returned almost all of its minutes, and a top-four finish is within reach.
Players to watch: LaNae’ Corbett, Ashanti Fox, Tamia Watkins, Jayda Angel
Drexel
Record: 21-11, 13-5 CAA (2nd, tie, WNIT appearance)
Coach: Amy Mallon, 7th season, 120-64
Drexel tied for second at 13-5 and reached the semifinals before losing to Hofstra in overtime, but it sits fourth here because of what talent left the program. First-team All-CAA guard Amaris Baker and floor general Grace O'Neill both used up their eligibility; forward Deja Evans, who averaged 9.7 points and grabbed 6.5 rebounds, transferred to Saint Joseph’s; and reserve Iriona Gravley left for Fairleigh Dickinson. Amy Mallon enters her seventh season and remains one of the league’s best, helping keep the Dragons in the top half.
Laine McGurk, a 5-10 senior guard, made second-team All-CAA at 12.8 points a game, started all 32 games, and scored 33 at Pitt. She’s the clear No. 1 option now. Sophomore guard Molly Rullo, a 21-game starter as a freshman, is back, along with senior guard Julia Garcia Roig, graduate forward Molly Lavin, juniors Emilee Jones and Mariah Watkins, and sophomore Bria Watkins. Mallon added Loyola Maryland’s Meliah Van-Otoo and Hampton graduate forward Aisha Dabo, plus freshmen Megan Rullo, Miley Malcolm, Ava Fajardo and Emma Montanari.
Scoring depth and playmaking are the problems. Baker’s scoring and O’Neill’s 4.1 assists per game left the program this offseason, and McGurk will face the other team’s best defender every night. Mallon has a long record of getting more out of a roster than it looks on paper, and this group has already won plenty of games. Drexel’s ability to find a second scorer decides whether they finish fourth or higher.
Players to watch: Laine McGurk, Aisha Dabo, Julia Garcia Roig, Emilee Jones
Stony Brook
Record: 18-15, 12-6 CAA (4th, tie)
Coach: Joy McCorvey, 3rd season, 30-33
Stony Brook was quietly good in 2025-26, tying for fourth at 12-6 before losing to Charleston in a semifinal. Joy McCorvey, entering her third season, brought Tennessee’s defense-first, rebound-and-run style, but most of the group that played in March is gone. Janay Brantley, the second-team All-CAA guard who led the team at 12.4 points a game, transferred to LMU; Chloe Oliver went to Cleveland State and Lauren Filien to Mercyhurst.
Forward Caitlin Frost is the top returning producer, with 9.1 points and 7.0 rebounds, and forwards Melissa Mwanza, Johanna Potter and Alex Brown are back with her. The guards are almost entirely new. McCorvey brought in Murray State’s Jada Cook; Charleston transfers Leah and Alana Philpotts; St. John’s guard Ariel Little; Virginia guard Raiane Dias Dos Santos; Mississippi State guard Awa Fane; Canisius guard Irene Rey Pineda; Rider guard Deb Okechukwu; and junior college guard Trinity Davis. Okechukwu averaged 6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds at Rider, and Davis averaged 10.5 points a game at Tyler Junior College. Dias Dos Santos averaged 11.8 points at Gulf Coast State before stops at Florida State and Virginia. That’s a deep pool of Division I experience with almost no history overlapping.
Nobody on the roster has shown they can carry the scoring load the way Brantley did, and with nine newcomers, roles will be resolved in November and December. The turnover in the program scares me a little, but if they gel quickly, they can make a push into the top four. The Seawolves have the defensive identity and the guard depth to stay in the top half, but they need one of the new guards to take over as the lead option.
Players to watch: Caitlin Frost, Jada Cook, Ariel Little, Awa Fane
North Carolina A&T
Record: 12-18, 7-11 CAA (9th)
Coach: Tarrell Robinson, 15th season, 275-177
North Carolina A&T went 12-18 and 7-11, a down year by the program’s standards. Tarrell Robinson, now in his 15th season, builds the Aggies around defense and rebounding, and that identity usually keeps them competitive when the roster is in flux. First-team All-CAA center and All-Defensive pick Chaniya Clark graduated, and so did senior guard D’Mya Tucker, a 23-game starter.
Senior forward Paris Locke made third-team All-CAA and averaged 11.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per contest. The additions are forward Jada Bates (Arkansas), center Yves Cox (Arkansas State), guards Drew Alexander (Temple) and Rania Curry (Mercer), forward Icyss Storm, a 28-game starter as a freshman at UNC Wilmington, and Maraja Pass, who started all 31 games at Elon. Senior forward Darrionna Howard returns along with sophomores Jamyia Lindsey, Crystal Hardy and Anaya Karriem, and the freshman class is Honor Hall, Kaylin Pernell, Brook Evans and Whitley Davis.
A&T’s path to a top-half finish is its defense and rebounding holding up while the new players settle around Locke. At its best, a Robinson team wins the possession battle and runs, and the Aggies lost to William & Mary in the tournament by a single possession. Three-point shooting has held them back for years, and a second reliable scorer next to Locke is the biggest unknown. The roster has the length and physicality to beat anyone on a given night.
Players to watch: Paris Locke, Darrionna Howard, Maraja Pass, Jamyia Lindsey
Campbell
Record: 20-12, 13-5 CAA (2nd, tie)
Coach: Ali Jaques, 1st season (9th overall, 112-139)
Campbell tied for second in the league last year at 13-5, and then longtime coach Ronny Fisher resigned. The school hired Ali Jaques, who spent the last two years as associate head coach at Rhode Island. She won 112 games as Siena’s head coach and led NYU to the 1997 Division III national title as a player. The roster she inherits is mostly new compared with last season's. Unanimous Rookie of the Year Jasmine Nivar went to Florida State; All-Rookie and All-Defensive center N’Na Konate went to George Washington; and guard Ciara Alexander went to Furman. Sophomore guard Olivia Tucker, a 30-game starter, and senior guard Gianni Boone are also gone.
Junior guard Jasmine Felton is the only returning starter, averaging 9.6 points and 6.2 rebounds. Other returners include Emerson Thompson, Peris Smith, Jessica Woods, and Mikayla Taborn, who played smaller roles. Junior guard Kiaya Davis is the one newcomer with a track record, as she led all NJCAA Division I scorers at 22.4 points a game as a freshman at Connors State and scored 14.8 as a sophomore. Seven freshmen, Genesis Schneeberg, Durusah Bilen, Clara Comas, Amit Arieli, Hana Predojevic, Laura Martín and Emma Carter, make this a roster that is more than half first-year players, and five of them are international players.
This will be a transition year. A new coach with this much turnover rarely finishes high in the standings, and the CAA is crowded in the middle. Jaques’ résumé suggests the Camels won’t absolutely collapse, and Davis gives her a scorer to start with. Losing the Rookie of the Year and most of the lineup lands Campbell somewhere in the middle of the pack.
Players to watch: Jasmine Felton, Kiaya Davis, Peris Smith, Mikayla Taborn
Charleston
Record: 27-7, 16-2 CAA (1st, NCAA Tournament appearance)
Coach: Amanda Butler, 1st season (19th overall, 311-265)
Charleston won the regular season and the tournament and played in the program’s first NCAA Tournament, losing in the first round to Duke, but it’s the hardest team in the league to project because so little of that group is left. Robin Harmony, the winningest coach in the program’s Division I history, left for Pitt, and the school hired Amanda Butler as its ninth head coach. Butler was the 2019 ACC Coach of the Year at Clemson, went 190-137 at Florida with four NCAA bids, and spent two seasons as a Louisville assistant on a 51-19 run that included a Sweet 16. The roster she inherits is already depleted. Two-time CAA Player of the Year Taryn Barbot and her twin, first-team All-CAA point guard Taylor Barbot, went to Pitt, and Defensive Player of the Year Grace Ezebilo, who pulled down 11.9 rebounds a game, went to SMU. Guard Jami Hill followed the Barbots, and Naylee Cortes landed at UNC Wilmington.
Butler attacked the portal right away. Graduate guard Abby Jegede arrives from Tulsa, where she started all 25 games; Louisville forward Isla Juffermans, an Australian who missed last season with an injury, and George Washington guard Mia James are in, along with freshmen Janna Vogelaar, Dakara Merthie, Chanel Ndi and Maggie Spell. Senior guard Tyja Beans pulled out of the portal after posting 26 starts and 10.0 points per game, and anchors a roster with little CAA experience. Sophomores Anilys Rolon and Aubrey Stevenson and junior Camila De Pool are the other holdovers; seniors Sophia Tougas and Marissa Brown graduated, and with only 11 players on the roster, it’s among the smallest in the CAA.
Losing your two best guards, your best defender, and your top rebounder in a single offseason, while changing coaches, is about as bad a start as a title defense gets. Charleston has the resources to rebuild fast; this first season looks like an uphill battle. My prediction reflects how much walked out, but Beans and Butler’s résumé keep Charleston out of the bottom third.
Players to watch: Tyja Beans, Abby Jegede, Isla Juffermans, Mia James
Towson
Record: 17-14, 10-8 CAA (6th, tie)
Coach: Laura Harper, 5th season, 70-57 (7th overall, 87-83)
Towson finished 17-14 and took the No. 7 seed, then lost to eventual runner-up Hofstra in the second round. Laura Harper, entering her fifth season, now has to replace her two most impactful players. India Johnston, the Sixth Player of the Year and a second-team All-CAA guard, scored 16.0 a game and left eighth on the program’s career list with 1,270 points. Kayla Morris, an All-CAA Defensive Team forward, led the league with 62 blocks, and seniors Tilda Sjökvist, Semaya Turner and Hannah Dereje graduated too.
Towson’s guards give Harper something to work with. Senior Thalia Shepard and Zoli Khalil each scored about nine a game, sophomore Viki Matulevicius shot 40.3 percent from three as a freshman, and graduate guard Masyn Marchbanks is back. The best new piece is Fairleigh Dickinson’s Ava Renninger, who put up 12.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.1 assists, and she brought former teammate Akeelah Lafleur, a forward. Sophomore guards Jillian Watson and Asya Lara Barnes, and redshirt freshman guard Nadeya Regala, join a freshman class of Swedish guard Lisen Curman, Eva Wilkerson, Diamond Watters, Sam Donovan, Keyarah Rainey, and Peyton White.
Without Johnston, the Tigers have no proven go-to scorer, and without Morris, the rim protection takes a hit, though Harper’s teams have defended well and will again. The team will need to find scoring quickly and rebound. Renninger or one of the returning guards stepping up could push Towson back into the top half. A step back this season, though, is likelier than not.
Players to watch: Thalia Shepard, Zoli Khalil, Viki Matulevicius, Ava Renninger
Hofstra
Record: 11-22, 6-12 CAA (10th)
Coach: Danielle Santos Atkinson, 8th season, 67-138
Hofstra had the best story of last year’s tournament. The Pride went from the No. 10 seed to the title game, beating Towson, Campbell and Drexel before falling to Charleston, all after an 11-22 season. Almost none of that team is back, and Danielle Santos Atkinson, in her eighth season, is starting over. Alarice Gooden, Chloe Sterling and Emma Von Essen, the three seniors named to the All-Tournament Team, graduated, and Micaela Carter, Sana’a Garrett, Maddie Pounds and Syniya Barton all entered the portal.
Junior guard/forward Ema Karim is the main returner, going from about six points a game to a bigger role. Santos Atkinson replaced the rest with six transfers: Daytona State College guard Ceylone Brooks, Temple guard Kelian Cedano, Merrimack’s Paloma Garcia Rosado, Pittsburgh guard Angel Jones, Jacksonville guard Comari Mitchell, and Temple forward Felicia Jacobs. Garcia Rosado was the 2026 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year and averaged 10.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. Jones, a fifth-year guard with more than 1,000 career points, was First Team All-MEAC at Coppin State before scoring 9.1 points per game at Pitt, and Mitchell helped Jacksonville win the Atlantic Sun and reach the NCAA Tournament. Sophomore forwards Olivia VanPatten and Kiyanna Blacks-Stewart, junior center Michaela Hodge and freshmen Allie Broadus, Mon’et Edwards and Audriana Williams add depth.
Six new transfers and one returning contributor need time, and Hofstra is also replacing the cohesion of a group that peaked in March. The tournament run showed Santos Atkinson can get a team playing well late in the year, but a repeat from a mostly new roster is a long shot. I’m expecting a lower-half finish.
Players to watch: Ema Karim, Angel Jones, Felicia Jacobs, Comari Mitchell
Northeastern
Record: 7-22, 3-15 CAA (12th)
Coach: Priscilla Edwards-Lloyd, 4th season, 20-64
Northeastern went 7-22 and 3-15, and Priscilla Edwards-Lloyd, entering her fourth season, is still looking for a foundation in Boston. The young core is back. Junior guard Camryn Collins led the team with 11.4 points a game and started every game; senior guard Yirsy Quéliz led the Huskies in assists and scored 9.7 points; and junior forward Justice Tramble added 9.1 points and a team-best 5.8 rebounds.
Juniors Morgan Matthews and Taylor Holohan, who both got significant minutes, are back, along with senior forward Andrea Martinez, junior forward Maya Summerville and sophomore guards Kailee Beaudion-Foliaki, Beatriz Pérez Pulgar and Lindsey Lemay. Edwards-Lloyd added some veterans. Graduate guard Anja Bukvic comes from Idaho, where she scored 6.4 points a game in 2024-25 before sitting out last season. Houston graduate guard Summer Bostock and East Carolina’s Amanda Smith joined too, but neither saw much floor time at their previous schools. Senior Nariyah Simmons and sophomores Alyssa Staten and Maria Sánchez Pitarch are out.
Collins, Tramble, and Quéliz are all back and still developing, giving Northeastern a base to build from. Edwards-Lloyd’s job is getting them to defend and close games. A 3-15 finish is a deep hole in a league this crowded, and depth and physicality are still concerns. This team could surprise some people this season.
Players to watch: Camryn Collins, Justice Tramble, Yirsy Quéliz, Anja Bukvic
Hampton
Record: 10-21, 4-14 CAA (11th)
Coach: Tamisha Augustin, 3rd season, 18-44
Hampton went 10-21 and 4-14, and Tamisha Augustin, entering her third season, is building around a young group. The encouraging news is that the top two scorers are back. Third-team All-CAA guard Kayla Lezama returns for a fifth season after averaging more than 12 points per game. Kiki McElrath, the Co-Newcomer of the Year, led the team at 13.2 points with 30 starts, and Aaryn Battle contributed 7.8 points and a team-best 4.0 assists in 20 games. Guard Arlisha Boston and center Janaye Walker are back, too.
Augustin added transfers Eghosa Obasuyi (Georgia State), Maya Woodson (Morgan State), Justus Fitzgerald (Syracuse), Zoey Rixter (Southeast Missouri State) and Amiyah Donaldson (Maine), plus Boston College transfer Kennedy Hall and freshmen Nilah Rivera, Jeniyah Bowers and Anja Navcheska. The losses hurt: Aisha Dabo went to Drexel, and seniors Olivia Smith, Le’Asia Foreman, Taylor Gibson and Kiya Dorroh all left.
Augustin’s task is to build depth around Lezama and McElrath, so games stay close against bigger, more physical teams. Hampton’s defense and effort kept some games within reach, but the gap to the top of the league is still wide. Two proven scorers give the Pirates a better outlook than a full reset would. Another bottom-three finish is the likelier result, and the middle of the standings is the ceiling.
Players to watch: Kayla Lezama, Aaryn Battle, Kiki McElrath, Maya Woodson
UNC Wilmington
Record: 7-24, 2-16 CAA (13th)
Coach: Nicole Woods, 4th season, 26-67
UNC Wilmington finished last at 2-16, and Nicole Woods, entering her fourth season, answered with a near-total overhaul. Guard Kylah Silver, who scored 12.8 a game and started 30 games, and third-team All-CAA guard Rori Cox, who averaged 15.3 points in 23 games before running out of eligibility, led last year’s team, and neither is on the roster. Torin Rogers, Mary Ferrito, Icyss Storm and Paige Smith are gone too. The result is the league’s biggest wild card and its likeliest last-place team.
Graduate forward Naylee Cortes arrives from Charleston, and the other transfers are Loyola Maryland’s Kimmie Hicks, who started 20 games and averaged 9.1 points; West Virginia’s Loghan Johnson; Fairleigh Dickinson’s Bella Toomey; Davidson’s Sienna Dauer; and George Mason’s Leah Keyes. Freshmen Promise Njoku, Swedish guard Alva Hägerström, Morgan White, Jazlyn Bowman, and Tiara Thompson join sophomore guard Ebbony Wilson on a 12-player roster with little margin for injury.
Nobody knows what this team is yet, and that’s the upside of a full teardown. The transfers could make UNCW more competitive than 2-16 suggests, and Cortes has been part of a title team. The roster lacks CAA experience. Woods is building something sustainable, and that probably means another year near the bottom.
Players to watch: Naylee Cortes, Kimmie Hicks, Loghan Johnson, Sienna Dauer
CAA Round-Up
The CAA is as open as it has been in years. Monmouth looks like the new favorite, with William & Mary and Elon right behind, and most of the middle of the league either rebuilt through the portal or changed coaches. Charleston and Campbell are starting over at the top of their programs, and how quickly Amanda Butler and Ali Jaques steady their rosters will shape the standings. Hofstra, Stony Brook, North Carolina A&T, Towson and UNC Wilmington all remade big parts of their rosters, so the teams that come together fastest could scramble the order. With the Barbots gone, Gigi Gamble, Cassidy Geddes, Laine McGurk and Kayla Lezama lead a wide-open Player of the Year race, and a sophomore like Ashanti Fox or Madalena Amaro could crash it.
Editor’s Note: Records and conference standings reflect the final 2025-26 CAA regular season and postseason. Player stats reflect 2025-26 production, unless noted. All 13 rosters have been confirmed against official, live 2026-27 team pages as of October 5th. Coaching and roster notes reflect known offseason moves as of October 5th. Roster additions may shift rosters before the season opens in November and may affect the order as of this writing.
