The Patriot League enters 2026-27 with a clear favorite and plenty of questions. Navy won its first outright regular-season title since 2013-14 and swept the major awards, but Holy Cross won the tournament and the league’s NCAA Tournament bid, while Army and Lehigh both played in the WNIT. The league has one new head coach, three more in their second year, and a lot of scoring to replace.
The Big Picture
Ben O’Brien is the league’s only new head coach. He replaces Kia Damon-Olson at Lafayette after four seasons at Division III Scranton, where he went 117-7 and reached last season’s national championship game by beating NYU in the Final Four and ending its 91-game winning streak. Katie Kuester at Army, Kelly Killion at American, and Shannon Bush at Colgate are each heading into a second year, and Kuester won the Maggie Dixon Rookie Coach of the Year award. Candice Green is in her third season at Holy Cross, where she started as interim coach in 2024, became permanent coach in February 2025, and won the Patriot League Tournament in her first full season.
The league lost a lot of its top talent. Only five of the ten players on the first and second all-league teams are back, and they play for Navy, Army, and Lafayette. Holy Cross lost Meg Cahalan and Kaitlyn Flanagan; Lehigh lost Lily Fandre; Loyola Maryland lost Lex Therien; and the portal took Anete Adler from Boston University to Colorado and Charlotte Tuhy from American to Stanford. Navy is my pick to win the league again. Zanai Barnett-Gay, the Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year Zoe Mesuch are both back, along with Julianna Almeida, and the three combined for 40.6 points a game last season. Army returns four of its five starters, and Lehigh returns four players who averaged 12.5 points or more. I have Lafayette fourth because it brings back its two leading scorers under a new coach, and Holy Cross fifth because the group that won the title is mostly gone. Below that, the order comes down to which teams find help among the newcomers. More than 50 of the 149 players on the league’s ten rosters are new, though the turnover is unevenly dispersed across the conference. Navy adds three freshmen, Lafayette adds four, and Loyola Maryland brings in nine.
Skim Milkey’s Predicted 2026-27 Order of Finish
1 - Navy
2 - Army
3 - Lehigh
4 - Lafayette
5 - Holy Cross
6 - Bucknell
7 - Loyola Maryland
8 - American
9 - Boston University
10 - Colgate
Skim Milkey’s Preseason All-Patriot League Team
Molly Driscoll, G, American
Camryn Tade, G, Army
Kya Smith, F, Army
Reganne Reardon, F, Army
Reese Zemitis, F, Bucknell
Ella Meabon, G, Colgate
Haylie Adamski, G, Lafayette
Talia Zurinskas, G, Lafayette
Teresa Kiewiet, G, Lafayette
Belle Bramer, F, Lehigh
Leia Edwards, G, Lehigh
Whitney Lind, F, Lehigh
Julianna Almeida, G, Navy
Zanai Barnett-Gay, G, Navy
Zoe Mesuch, G, Navy
Navy
Record: 22-9, 16-2 Patriot League (1st, WBIT appearance)
Coach: Tim Taylor, 7th season, 71-95
Navy won its first outright regular-season title since 2013-14 and set a program record with 16 league wins. No team in the league allowed fewer points in conference play. Navy beat Boston University 76-66 in the quarterfinals, but Lehigh beat Navy 81-76 in the semifinals on the Midshipmen’s home court, and a 73-52 loss at Harvard ended the season in the first round of the WBIT. Barnett-Gay was Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, Mesuch was Rookie of the Year, and Taylor and his staff won Coaching Staff of the Year. The departures are small, led by forwards Kate Samson and Morgan Demos.
The top three scorers return. Barnett-Gay averaged 17.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists and led the league in steals, and Mesuch added 13.7 points as a freshman while starting 29 games. Almeida scored 9.9 points and grabbed 5.0 rebounds, and forward Quinn Boettinger added 5.1 points a game off the bench. Mary Gibbons started 17 games, and Christina Liggio, Saran Moschella, Lizzie Holder, Grace Minihane, Nia Henley, and Sidney Quinn round out the returning group.
The only newcomers are freshmen: forward Isa Grant and guards Kaitlyn Raagas and Kelsey Rhyne. All 11 returners played in at least 12 games last season, so Taylor can bring in the freshmen slowly.
I have Navy first, with little hesitation. The Player of the Year, the Rookie of the Year, and nearly the entire rotation are back for a program that has won more games every year since going 1-29 in 2022-23, from 14 to 19 to 22. The one thing that could cost the Midshipmen is the health of Barnett-Gay and Mesuch, because their depth is untested. Stay healthy, and I would be surprised if anyone finished ahead of them.
Players to watch: Zanai Barnett-Gay, Zoe Mesuch, Julianna Almeida, Quinn Boettinger
Army
Record: 26-8, 14-4 Patriot League (2nd, tie, WNIT appearance)
Coach: Katie Kuester, 2nd season, 26-8
Army tied Holy Cross for second at 14-4 in Kuester’s first season. The Black Knights beat Lafayette 65-57 in the quarterfinals and lost 61-55 at Holy Cross in the semifinals, then went to the WNIT, where they beat NJIT 59-52 and La Salle 74-63 at home before losing 82-65 at Marshall in the quarterfinals. The one major loss is Reese Ericson, who started all 33 games and averaged 10.9 points and 2.9 assists. Reserve guard Soleil Montrose, who scored 3.3 points, is also gone.
Smith, a second-team All-Patriot League forward, averaged 13.7 points and 10.3 rebounds, while Tade, a first-team selection, scored 13.2 points from the backcourt. Taylor Wilson added 8.0 points, and Reganne Reardon, an All-Rookie Team forward, scored 7.1 points in 19 minutes a game off the bench, and I expect her to take on more. Brooke Wilson started 30 games, and Fiona Hastick, Stella Chartrand, Audrey Annee, Jane Preston, Kelly Cramer, and Landry Sherrer played limited minutes. Addison Ainsworth and Sam Tillson, both junior forwards, did not play last season and are back on the roster.
The only newcomers are freshman forward Allie Swindell and freshman guards Daniela Maletsky, Jane Rape, Julia Sedora, Lilly Thoman, and Nakia Ollivierre.
Army is my second pick. Four starters, both All-Patriot League players, and an All-Rookie forward return from a 26-win team, and the only real gap between the Black Knights and Navy is the Player of the Year. The one hole is Ericson’s minutes at guard, and if Reardon and others step up, Army will not slide back.
Players to watch: Kya Smith, Camryn Tade, Reganne Reardon, Taylor Wilson
Lehigh
Record: 17-15, 11-7 Patriot League (4th, WNIT appearance)
Coach: Addie Micir, 5th season, 78-49
Lehigh won 27 games in 2024-25, then slipped to 17-15 and fourth place as injuries hit the roster. The Mountain Hawks had only six healthy players in January and forfeited a game at Navy. They still reached the tournament final, beating Loyola Maryland 68-54 at home and Navy 81-76 on the road before losing 77-70 at Holy Cross, and the season ended with a 72-62 loss at Monmouth in the first round of the WNIT. Lily Fandre, a first-team All-Patriot League forward who averaged 15.3 points, is the main loss, along with guard Katie Hurt.
Four returners averaged at least 12.5 points. Leia Edwards, an All-Rookie Team selection, scored 13.6 points and grabbed 7.7 rebounds in 17 games; Whitney Lind averaged 13.3 points in 24 games; Belle Bramer averaged 12.7 points in 29 games; and Jessie Ozzauto averaged 12.5 points in 15 games. Gracyn Lovette ran the offense with 4.2 assists per game, and Alana Reddy added 5.2 points per game. Ellie Mjaanes and Myrto Lianoudi played smaller roles, and Keshia Vitalicio, a junior guard who played 27 games as a freshman, missed last season with an injury.
The only newcomers are freshmen: guards Mia Washington, Olivia Fleming, and Ryann Jennings, and forward Olivia Johnston.
Lehigh is the most interesting team in the top four, because the scoring is there if the roster is healthy. No other team in the league has four returners averaging 12.5 points or more, but Edwards and Ozzauto played only 17 and 15 games, respectively. If the Mountain Hawks keep that group on the floor for a full schedule, they have a case to finish second. Until they do, third is where I have them.
Players to watch: Leia Edwards, Whitney Lind, Belle Bramer, Jessie Ozzauto
Lafayette
Record: 11-19, 7-11 Patriot League (6th, tie)
Coach: Ben O’Brien, 1st season, 0-0 (5th overall, 117-7)
Lafayette tied Bucknell for sixth at 7-11 and lost 65-57 at Army in the quarterfinals. Kia Damon-Olson is gone, and O’Brien arrives from Scranton, where he went 117-7 in 124 games over four seasons, won four conference titles, and coached in the Division III national championship game this past year. Sauda Ntaconayigize, who started 25 games and averaged 9.4 points, was the only meaningful departure.
The two leading scorers are back. Teresa Kiewiet, a second-team All-Patriot League guard, led the team with 16.3 points and 6.1 rebounds, and Talia Zurinskas scored 10.6 points and started all 30 games. Haylie Adamski made the All-Rookie Team as a freshman, and Maddison Krug, a 6-3 forward, grabbed 7.3 rebounds a game. Tasha Chudy added 6.1 points in 17 games, and Rosie Scognamiglio, Haley Poser, Emma Heaney, Brynn Beffert, Jordyn Mays, and Sofia Valente also return.
The newcomers are all freshmen: guards Carley Voce and Reneyia Pickering and forwards Johari Hall and Sophia Brooks.
I have Lafayette fourth because it brings back a real core, even with a first-year coach still learning the job. O’Brien inherits a second-team All-Patriot League guard, an All-Rookie guard, and 11 returners, but moving from Division III to a league with Navy and Army above him will not happen overnight. If Kiewiet and Zurinskas repeat their seasons and Adamski and Krug take a step, the Leopards can challenge Lehigh for third.
Players to watch: Teresa Kiewiet, Talia Zurinskas, Haylie Adamski, Maddison Krug
Holy Cross
Record: 23-10, 14-4 Patriot League (2nd, tie, NCAA Tournament appearance)
Coach: Candice Green, 3rd season, 42-22 (4th overall, 61-35)
Holy Cross tied Army for second at 14-4, then won the Patriot League Tournament at home, beating Colgate 72-36, Army 61-55, and Lehigh 77-70. The Crusaders drew a 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament and lost 83-48 at Michigan. Four starters from that team are gone: first-team All-Patriot League forward Meg Cahalan, second-team guard Kaitlyn Flanagan, Simone Foreman, and Mary-Elizabeth Donnelly. Cahalan alone scored 15.1 points a game, and Foreman and Donnelly gave Holy Cross rebounding from the guard spot. Reserve guard Asia Wilson is now at Buffalo.
Kendall Eddy is the main returner after starting 30 games and averaging 7.8 points and 2.7 assists. Janie Bachmann and Hannah Griffin, both seniors, scored 5.7 and 3.2 points, mostly off the bench, and Brianna McDermott, Stella Gougoufkas, Simone Lewis, Mackenzie Teevan, and Megan Roche played smaller roles. Gracynn Gough, a junior forward, did not play.
Green added two transfers. Colleen Phiri comes from George Washington, where she scored 4.2 points with 2.1 rebounds in 28 games as a freshman, and Emma Lizotte, a forward, joins from Quinnipiac after averaging 2.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 30 games. The freshmen are Abigail Casper, Camden Epstein, and Maddie Provost.
I put Holy Cross fifth, a clear step down for a champion that returns about a third of its scoring. Eddy must become the primary option, and Phiri must play well above her role as a freshman reserve, since both transfers were bench players at their last stops. If Green finds a second scorer early, the Crusaders will not need much more to stay in the race.
Players to watch: Kendall Eddy, Colleen Phiri, Janie Bachmann, Emma Lizotte
Bucknell
Record: 11-19, 7-11 Patriot League (6th, tie)
Coach: Trevor Woodruff, 8th season, 111-85 (12th overall, 224-95)
Bucknell lost 57-47 to Colgate in the first round of the tournament, and the Bison scored just 50.6 points a game in league play. Tuana Coskun, who started 27 games and averaged 12.4 points, moved to East Carolina. Desirae Ashton, a reserve forward who scored 3.6 points, is at George Mason, and Hope Masonius, who scored 2.0 points in 22 games, is at Rutgers.
Reese Zemitis played 34 minutes a game and scored 9.7 points, and Elana Weisman averaged 10.4 points but appeared in only nine games. Isabella Casey started 28 games and averaged 7.2 points; Anna Kunzwiler averaged 4.4 rebounds; and Mariah Hardy, a forward, averaged 4.7 points. Ella Kreuzer, Kaila Richards, and Marisa Smith played smaller roles.
Peyton Musial, a guard, joins from UAB, where she played 13 games as a freshman. The other newcomers are forward Alaina Dadzie and guards Grace Feeney and Tessa Liggio.
Bucknell lands sixth because the offense leans on Weisman, who played only nine games last year, and the Bison have won no more than 17 games in any of the last four seasons. The roster has only 12 players, so there is little room for another injury. With Weisman, Zemitis, and Casey all healthy, Bucknell can push into the top four.
Players to watch: Reese Zemitis, Elana Weisman, Isabella Casey, Peyton Musial
Loyola Maryland
Record: 12-18, 8-10 Patriot League (5th)
Coach: Danielle O’Banion, 6th season, 52-99 (10th overall, 73-197)
Loyola Maryland finished fifth at 8-10 and lost 68-54 at Lehigh in the quarterfinals. The Greyhounds leaned heavily on Lex Therien, a first-team All-Patriot League forward who averaged 15.5 points and 8.3 rebounds. She is gone, along with Kimmie Hicks, who is now at UNCW, and Koi Sims, the team’s second-leading rebounder. Cristina Garcia, a guard, also left.
Amandine Amorich is the top returner after scoring 8.2 points and starting 17 games. Sydney Bass averaged 4.3 points and started 14 games, Avery Simmons scored 4.5 points in four games, and Olivia Shaughnessy scored 3.3 points. Whitley Watkins, Kailey Kalet, who started 15 games, and Gabby Betton make up the rest of the returning group.
O’Banion filled out the roster with four transfers: Aidan Langley from Towson, Tyler Edwards from FDU, Maddie Oliver from James Madison, and Takeira Ramey from Texas State. None of them averaged more than 1.3 points at their last stops. The freshmen are Allister Caretti, Kaitlin Totaro, and Talia Shumate, all posts, and guards Ava Kopetskie and Debra Wilson-Osuide.
Seventh is where Loyola Maryland belongs while the Greyhounds look for a scorer. Therien averaged 15.5 points a game, and the replacements played very little at their last schools. If a transfer or freshman steps into that role beside Amorich, the offense could improve on the 55.1 points per game it produced in league play.
Players to watch: Amandine Amorich, Sydney Bass, Aidan Langley, Tyler Edwards
American
Record: 7-23, 5-13 Patriot League (9th)
Coach: Kelly Killion, 2nd season, 7-23
American went from 1-29 to 7-23 in Killion’s first season, and the Eagles lost 69-58 at Boston University in the first round of the tournament. The defense, which allowed 65.5 points a game in league play, was the problem. Charlotte Tuhy made the All-Rookie Team, averaging 12.0 points and 11.3 rebounds, and transferred to Stanford. Anna Rescifina, who scored 6.0 points, and Laura Nogues, who scored 4.8 points, were seniors.
Molly Driscoll and Madisyn Moore-Nicholson led the scoring, with 11.6 and 10.6 points, and both started all 30 games. Lexi Salazar handed out 2.5 assists; forward Grace Koepke averaged 4.4 points in 13 games; and Ellie Pingree, Elizabeth Archer, Kayla Greyvensteyn, Mary Bolesky, and Andrea Jude played smaller roles.
Killion added two Division I transfers. Jaymee Wadey comes from Towson, where she played one game, and Toni Smith comes from Delaware State, where she scored 2.2 points and grabbed 2.3 rebounds in 19 games as a freshman. The freshmen are guards Ella Gottlieb, Jordyn Hollawell, Kai Powell, and Nina Višnjevac, and forward Lauren Wright.
American is eighth with two proven guards and not much help around them. Tuhy’s rebounding is a bigger loss than her scoring, and Smith and the freshmen will have to help on the glass for the Eagles to defend any better. Another small climb is realistic, though the top half is still a step away.
Players to watch: Molly Driscoll, Madisyn Moore-Nicholson, Toni Smith, Grace Koepke
Boston University
Record: 11-20, 6-12 Patriot League (8th)
Coach: Melissa Graves, 6th season, 84-74
Boston University beat American 69-58 in the first round and lost 76-66 to Navy in the quarterfinals. The team’s two best players have left. Anete Adler, a second-team All-Patriot League forward, averaged 15.4 points and 6.1 rebounds and is now at Colorado, and Anastasiia Semenova scored 9.1 points and is now at Arizona. Audrey Ericksen, who started 23 games, is at NC State.
Bella McLaughlin leads the returners with 8.0 points and 3.3 assists, and Hildur Gunnsteinsdóttir started 28 games. Inés Monteagudo Pardo scored 6.3 points, and forward Allison Schwertner added 4.1 points and 3.8 rebounds. Rose Azmoudeh, Kate Allard, Aoibhe Gormley, Taylor Williams, and Inez Gallegos return in smaller roles, and senior guard Aina Grane Torres did not play last season while recovering from an injury.
Forward Yael Maayan comes from Samford, where she appeared in 11 games. The freshmen are forwards Addison Dorfman and Grace Lee and guards Brielle Alaba and Sophia Georgiades.
I am putting Boston University ninth because the roster lost its top two scorers after seasons with 12 and 11 wins, well below the 24 and 20 Graves won in her second and third years. McLaughlin can run the offense, but the Terriers need two or three returners to score more than they did last season to move past American.
Players to watch: Bella McLaughlin, Inés Monteagudo Pardo, Hildur Gunnsteinsdóttir, Allison Schwertner
Colgate
Record: 7-24, 2-16 Patriot League (10th)
Coach: Shannon Bush, 2nd season, 7-24
Colgate won two league games, beat Bucknell 57-47 in the first round of the tournament, and then lost 72-36 at Holy Cross. Six seniors are gone, led by Madison Schiller, who averaged 9.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, and Anne Bair, who scored 13.0 points in three games before moving to George Washington. Grace Klag added 4.7 points and 5.0 rebounds, and Abbey Ferguson scored 4.1 points and started all 30 games. Christina Midgette and Lara Cook also left the team.
Ella Meabon carried the offense, averaging 14.3 points and starting 29 games. Amarah Streiff scored 5.4 points and started 21 games, and Taye Matthews scored 7.3 points in just 15 minutes a game. Laila Hankerson, Kennedy Parrott, Ellie Cronin, Ella Mahaffey, Maryan Eniafe, and Karena Eberts played limited minutes.
The newcomers are all freshmen: guards Fleur Gamal, Kendall Konigsberg, Mia Brockmeyer, Molly Corcoran, and T’Maea Eteuati, and forward Kaila Francis.
Colgate is last because Meabon is the only proven scorer, and the freshman class has not played a game. The Raiders produced 51.7 points a game in league play, and Matthews and Streiff must take on bigger roles for that to change. If the freshmen are ready early, another year under Bush could bring some improvement.
Players to watch: Ella Meabon, Taye Matthews, Amarah Streiff, Kaila Francis
Patriot League Round-Up
The Patriot League has a clear top two and a muddy middle. Navy has the Player of the Year and nearly its whole rotation; Army kept four starters from a 26-win team, and both are better set up than anyone behind them. Lehigh has the best group of returning scorers outside those two, and its season depends on staying healthy after an injury-hit year.
The most interesting games will come from the middle of the pack. Lafayette has a new coach and its two leading scorers back; Holy Cross has to prove it can win without the group that earned the league’s NCAA Tournament bid; and Bucknell and Loyola Maryland are both searching for a go-to option. American, Boston University, and Colgate need their newcomers to carry more than usual, and the bottom of the standings could come down to whichever freshman class is ready first. Last season ended with Navy at 16-2, Army and Holy Cross two games back, Lehigh three games behind them, and six teams with losing league records; I expect a similar top-heavy shape this year.
Editor’s Note: Records and conference standings reflect the final 2025-26 Patriot League regular season and postseason. Player stats reflect 2025-26 production, unless noted. All 10 rosters have been confirmed against official, live 2026-27 team pages as of October 25th. Coaching and roster notes reflect known offseason moves as of October 25th. Roster additions may shift rosters before the season opens in November and may affect the order as of this writing.
