The America East enters 2026-27 in a very different state than it left last season. Three schools have new coaches this year, and the portal hit the conference's top players hard. Last season was a top-heavy race, and coming into the season it looks like it will be more wide-open than it has been in years. Could Binghamton finally break through after finishing in third place last year for the first time since the 2021-22 season?
The Big Picture
Vermont won the regular-season and tournament title last year under Alisa Kresge, who left for Richmond this spring. The Catamounts turned to Maureen Magarity, previously the head coach at Holy Cross and New Hampshire. She inherited a roster that lost four key contributors, including All-America East first-teamers Keira Hanson and Nikola Priede. Albany won back-to-back regular-season titles in 2023-24 and 2024-25 behind Player of the Year Kayla Cooper, but struggled last year after Cooper graduated, finishing just 4-12 in conference play. Longtime coach Colleen Mullen left for Rhode Island, and Albany hired Kelly Morrone away from Merrimack. UMass Lowell has a new coach for the third year in a row as Jon Plefka and the school mutually parted ways in mid-March after just one season. Brianna Finch, previously an assistant at George Washington, now takes over the roster.
Coaching wasn't the only thing to turn over in the conference this season. The top players from last season left en masse too. New Hampshire loses second-team All-America East guard Eva DeChent, who put up 18.1 points a game, to San Diego State, and also graduates senior captain Camryn Fauria. UMBC loses America East Newcomer of the Year Jade Tillman, who scored 15.8 points a game to Ole Miss. NJIT loses second-team All-America East forward Olivia Kulyk, who scored 14.6 points a night, to Fordham, on top of graduating program legend Alejandra Zuniga. Maine loses its entire top three scorers to graduation, led by first-team All-America East pick Adrianna Smith and her 22.8 points per game average. The one team that bucks this trend is Binghamton, as they bring back four of their top five scorers and look like the league's most complete roster walking into the fall.
Skim Milkey's Predicted 2026-27 Standings
1 - Binghamton
2 - Bryant
3 - NJIT
4 - UMBC
5 - Albany
6 - Vermont
7 - Maine
8 - New Hampshire
9 - UMass Lowell
Skim Milkey's Preseason All-America East Team
Madison Roman, F, Albany (transfer, Merrimack)
Bella Pucci, G, Binghamton
Carletta Bennett, G, Binghamton
Kendall Bennett, F, Binghamton
Genevieve Wedemeyer, G, Bryant (transfer, Siena)
Mia Mancini, G, Bryant
Nia Scott, F, Bryant
Kaliyah Sain, F, Maine
Lala Woods, G, Maine
Allison Cannon, G, NJIT
Ava Locklear, F, NJIT
Marissa Gingrich, G, NJIT
Heidi Williams, G, UMBC
Catherine Gilwee, G, Vermont
Malia Lenz, G, Vermont
Binghamton
2025-26 Record: 20-13, 10-6 America East (3rd, WNIT appearance)
Coach: Mary Grimes, 3rd season, 35-28 (5th overall, 91-58 career)
Binghamton taking my top spot doesn't need much explaining, as it's the only team in the league that saw the least amount of talent filter out of the program. Four of the top six scorers are back from a team that reached the America East semifinals and the WNIT second round. They are coming off of the program's best season since Grimes took over. Bella Pucci and Kendall Bennett were both named to the second-team All-America East, and both started every game last year. They are as proven a duo as you'll find in the league right now. Pucci scored 15.1 points a game and grabbed 3.8 rebounds last year, and Bennett scored 14.0 points per game and grabbed 10.1 rebounds last season. Bennett was a double-double threat each night and also made the All-Defensive Team. Carletta Bennett, an All-Rookie Team selection as a freshman, chipped in 6.9 points and 2.8 rebounds and should take on more as a sophomore.
Meghan Casey scored 8.0 points a game last year and leaves the program after graduating. Leah Middleton departed as the team's fifth-leading scorer and left for Northern Illinois. Grimes didn't bring in any transfers; however, Kameryn Dorsey was a portal addition before the 2025-26 season from Saint Francis (PA) but did not play last season due to injury. The incoming class includes Sophie Elzina René, a 6-foot-1 forward from Champlain College Saint-Lambert, who averaged 11.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks in her final season there and was an RSEQ Second Team All-Star. Fellow Champlain product Cam Gaudreau, a 5-foot-7 guard, also comes with her to round out Binghamton's incoming freshman class. Behind them, Yanniah Boyd, Klarissa Goode, Emma Hakonardottir, Kaitlyn McMillan, Ashley Redd, Abby Misier, Leah Fowler and Daysha Salgado round out a deep roster that has quite a bit of continuity.
Binghamton has been on the cusp of breaking into the upper echelon of the America East for the past few years. With a deep returning roster and momentum from last year, I think this is the year that they break through and win the conference.
Players to watch: Bella Pucci, Kendall Bennett, Carletta Bennett, Kameryn Dorsey
Bryant
Record: 18-12, 8-8 America East (6th)
Coach: Lynne-Ann Kokoski, 4th season, 50-42
December 9th will be remembered in Smithfield for a while as it marked Bryant's first-ever victory over a Power Five opponent after taking down Boston College, and it kick-started the Bulldogs' best season in a decade. They had two separate seven-game winning streaks that helped propel them to an 18-win season. They finished with a rocky stretch, losing five of their last seven and suffering a one-point loss to Binghamton in the America East Quarterfinals. However, Bryant has strong talent returning and will look to build on the season.
Kokoski brings back both of last season's third-team All-America East honorees, and besides Binghamton, no team in the league can match the returning duo. Mia Mancini averaged 12.1 points and 4.8 rebounds and a career-high 3.9 assists while starting 29 of 30 games, while Nia Scott started every single game and posted a career-high 11.8 points and 8.7 rebounds with 11 double-doubles. Guards Olivia Fernandez, Jaida Guerra, and Izzy Adams add returning backcourt depth, and forward Rose Nelson returns as well. On top of that core, Kokoski signed seven newcomers over the summer, the deepest incoming class in the conference by sheer volume, made up of four transfers and three freshmen.
Genevieve Wedemeyer, a Siena transfer who averaged 9.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.2 steals across 19 starts, headlines the group and should step right in as a ball-handler. She is joined by transfers Ndate Ndiaye from FIU, Astou Ndiaye from FIU, and Cameron McNamara from North Alabama. A trio of freshmen joins the program: Sammie Sullivan, Aliyah Brame, and Natalie Chisi, all of whom can impact the team right away after very successful prep careers.
Defense was Bryant's identity last season, and the numbers show it. They ranked second in the league in scoring defense and first in both field-goal percentage defense (36.6%) and three-point defense (24.6%), a mark that led the entire country. Combine their defensive ability with Mancini and Scott returning and this new depth added on top, and Bryant might have the best mix of returning talent and roster reinforcement in the league despite losing two players to graduation, Mimi Rubino and Maranda Nyborg, who both averaged double-digit points last year.
Players to watch: Mia Mancini, Nia Scott, Genevieve Wedemeyer, Cameron McNamara
NJIT
Record: 19-13, 9-7 America East (5th, WNIT appearance)
Coach: Mike Lane, 9th season, 82-144
Zuniga's final season was one for the record books. NJIT went a school-record 19-13 and won the program's first-ever Division I postseason game as they upset Longwood in the first round of the WNIT. The team set records with nine non-conference wins and 10 road wins. Zuniga finished as the program's all-time leading scorer with 1,741 career points, which was capped by a 39-point outburst at UMBC, and sophomore Allison Cannon recorded the first triple-double in NJIT's Division I history, while ranking sixth in the league in assists and fifth in steals.
Replacing Zuniga is the whole story now that she's graduated, and Kulyk followed her out the door via transfer to Fordham. Marissa Gingrich inherits the go-to role after averaging 10.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists across 25 starts as a complementary piece a year ago, and Cannon is still around. Hence, Lane at least has two proven guards to build the offense around. Forward Ava Locklear averaged 8.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game last year, giving them a true interior presence. He brought in one transfer this year: guard Matilde Baron, who comes from Southern New Hampshire, where she played in 45 games over three seasons from 2022-25.
Lane signed three freshmen coming into this season. Kate Donovan, an Illinois product who finished her high school career with 1,024 points, 369 assists, and a school-record 353 steals, and Carly Sweazie, who scored 918 points at Bishop O'Connell in Virginia, both come in with a chance to find a role early on as guards. Marina Bravo is a six-foot-three forward from Archbishop Riordan in California who will also look to make an impact in her first season. The returning rotation is fairly deep, as NJIT had only one transfer out and returns Audrey Kormann, Madilyn Dogs, Mackenzie Wright-Rawls, Lauren Lee, Mia Gestosani, Piper Engelby, Addison Shen, and Olivia O'Meally.
NJIT led the league in scoring a year ago at 65.4 points per game and led in made threes with 6.5 a game. However, they struggled to force turnovers and rebound, but brought in freshmen to help remedy that. With Zuniga gone, we might see an offensive learning curve, but if the returners can take a step forward and some of the freshmen can produce, NJIT could challenge for an America East title.
Players to watch: Marissa Gingrich, Allison Cannon, Ava Locklear, Kate Donovan
UMBC
Record: 17-15, 10-6 America East (4th, tie, WNIT appearance)
Coach: Candice Hill, 3rd season, 31-30
Jade Tillman was UMBC's best story last season, earning America East Newcomer of the Year honors after averaging 15.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. This was easily the program's best individual campaign in years. Now she's at Ole Miss, and Hill has to find that production somewhere else, coming off a season that equaled UMBC's best regular-season finish since 2017.
A sophomore backcourt with good talent gives Hill a place to start. Heidi Williams, an All-Rookie Team selection, averaged 9.5 points and 5.3 rebounds with 20 starts as a freshman, and she's the most poised of anyone to take over for some of Tillman's usage. Kennedy Austin, also an All-Rookie honoree, added 7.9 points and 3.0 rebounds a game. Both players enter their sophomore year with starting experience, which should give UMBC a solid foundation.
Hill went out and grabbed four transfers to give reinforcement to the roster. Shariah Baynes, a Towson transfer, appeared in 52 games with 14 starts. Alden Yergey arrived from Siena and started 13 games across 55 career appearances. Jeanine Brandsma comes in from Austin Peay, where she appeared in 15 games last year. Angela Williams rounds out the transfer class from James Madison, where she played in 64 games across her first two seasons. While none of these players were impact players at their previous stops, they all bring plenty of experience.
UMBC adds these transfers to a fairly deep returning roster. Dagny Slomack, Alaina Williams, Gabby Scott, and Tiara Bellamy return a combined 62 starts last season while Sadaya Jones and Maisie Crowley provide returning depth, and freshmen Syd Sutton and Cai Roberson round things out for a roster that has a lot of experience.
Shooting is the biggest improvement UMBC needs, as it finished dead last in the America East last year in effective field goal percentage. The Retrievers made just 4.6 threes a game last season, the fewest in the America East, and how much that number improves will decide whether UMBC holds onto its tie for fourth or slides back toward the middle of the pack.
Players to watch: Heidi Williams, Kennedy Austin, Shariah Baynes, Tiara Bellamy
Albany
Record: 14-16, 4-12 America East (7th, tie)
Coach: Kelly Morrone, 1st season, 0-0 (14th overall, 191-163 career)
No rebuild in the league is going to be bigger than Albany's. The Great Danes won back-to-back regular-season titles in 2023-24 and 2024-25 behind Player of the Year Kayla Cooper, and then fell off the moment that she graduated. Mullen left for Rhode Island after eight seasons and a 139-102 record, and seven players walked out the door with her. Those losses were big, as they included All-Defensive performer Martina Borrellas, third-team All-America East guard Delanie Hill, and Sixth Woman of the Year Amaya Stewart, all of whom combined for 38 points per game last season.
Morrone was hired away from Merrimack after being named 2026 MAAC Coach of the Year, and essentially rebuilt the roster from scratch. She brought in six transfers and six freshmen while two players remained on the roster, signifying an almost total rebuild. Three of those transfers followed Morrone straight over from Merrimack. Madison Roman, a unanimous first-team All-MAAC selection who averaged 13.5 points and 10.6 rebounds with 18 double-doubles, comes along with Marrone from Merrimack and is the most talented transfer anywhere in the America East this season. Daria Shishkina brings experience after appearing in 34 games across two Merrimack seasons, and Cadence Johnson appeared in 51 games across two seasons at Merrimack. Daemen grad transfer Shyla Montgomery, who averaged 8.7 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.8 steals and was a third-team All-ECC member last year, adds another ball-handler to the mix. Junior-college transfers Kohen Marshall and Sabela Carro round out the group, and both saw success at their previous stops. Marshall was named first-team All-Inland Empire while Carro started 57 games over two seasons and set the Laramie County Community College record for most steals in a season.
The transfer class is fairly heavy internationally, and the freshman class follows suit. Frankie McLain, Alexia Bujold, Sofia Caraus, Noa López Tallón, Jenava Egan, and Abriyah Cunningham come into a roster that will likely need some of the freshmen to play a role. Emma Zuccon returns as a sophomore forward who played limited minutes, and Lara Langermann returns as a starter who started in 22 games last season. With only two returning players, this group saw the most turnover of anyone in the league.
If Roman comes anywhere close to replicating what she did at Merrimack, Albany could be much better than anyone expects. Morrone has a track record of quick turnarounds, having done it once already at Merrimack and before that at John Carroll, where she enjoyed three NCAA Division III Tournament trips.
Players to watch: Madison Roman, Daria Shishkina, Shyla Montgomery, Lara Langermann
Vermont
Record: 27-8, 13-3 America East (1st, NCAA Tournament appearance)
Coach: Maureen Magarity, 1st season, 0-0 (15th overall, 218-196 career)
Maureen Magarity takes over for Kresge this season, and there is a bit of familiarity with this hire. Magarity previously coached New Hampshire from 2010-20 and has won an America East regular-season title. Magarity and Kresge were teammates in college at Marist, which provides more familiarity with the program. Vermont has enjoyed three NCAA Tournament trips in the past four seasons and two America East regular-season titles. Vermont went 27-8 last season and swept both the regular season and conference tournament, before bowing out of the NCAA tournament in the first round after losing to NC State.
Three big contributors are gone from that championship roster, and all three were the leading scorers for the team. Hanson and Priede, a pair of All-America East first-teamers, are gone, as is second-team All-America East guard Jadyn Weltz, who averaged 11.8 points per game last year. The clear two centerpieces now are Malia Lenz and Catherine Gilwee. Lenz was one of only four Catamounts to start all 35 games last season. She averaged 7.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.2 steals a night and tested the transfer portal before deciding to return. Gilwee was a second-team All-America East member in 2024-25, but was hurt early in the season last year, so now returns for her fifth season. Both of these players are going to be counted on to shoulder the load.
Vermont used the portal to add size to its roster while adding guards in its freshman class. Arantxa Portalez was Delaware's team captain and averaged 1.8 points and 3.0 rebounds in 29 games, while Meja Jaegerskog appeared in 17 games at Saint Joseph's. Both stand at 6-foot-2, and they slot into a frontcourt that also returns Piper Risdon, Madison Hall, and redshirt sophomore Savanna Creal.
The newcomer class is almost entirely international. Freshman guard Sienna Papanastasiou-Thomas, out of Ontario, was a two-time Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association All-Star and Athlete of the Year in 2026. Maisie Keyes, a 5-foot-10 guard from Manchester, England, spent the last two years in the Women's Elite Academy Basketball League. Neta Mayshar, a guard from Israel, averaged 15.2 points a game for the U18 Israel team and helped the U18 team place 4th at the 2024 FIFA U18 Eurobasket tournament. These three guards round out the class, along with returners Emma Haan, Lia Hanson, Jacklynn Hosier, and Maren Maxon.
Vermont will be fundamentally different from what it has been over the past few seasons. Still, if the newcomers and returners gel through November and December, this program is used to winning. With Lenz, Gilwee, and Haan back with starting experience, this team could surprise given what left the program in the offseason.
Players to watch: Malia Lenz, Emma Haan, Catherine Gilwee, Jacklynn Hosier
Maine
Record: 19-13, 12-4 America East (2nd)
Coach: Amy Vachon, 11th season, 188-107
Maine reached the America East championship game last season before falling to Vermont. But now, it has to replace its top three scorers in one offseason. Adrianna Smith leaves as one of the most decorated players in America East history, having won Player of the Year honors twice. Last season, her 22.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game were among the best individual seasons in league history. Third-team All-America East guard Asta Blauenfeldt and Sarah Talon are both gone too, and with them leaves a combined 19.9 points and nearly three steals per game. All three started every game a year ago, which shows how much talent the team is losing.
Sophomore guard Lala Woods, named to last year's America East All-Rookie Team, is someone that can be built around. She scored 8.4 points and buried 34 threes as a freshman, showing the offense could run through her. Fellow sophomore Olivia Alvarez was also a key piece last year, starting 23 games for Maine, and will likely start every game this season. Lizzy Gruber started a handful of games last season, and the 6-foot-4 post player will likely see a bigger role this year with Maine's graduations. Kaliyah Sain showed she could be a difference-maker as she scored 8.4 points and grabbed 4.8 rebounds across eight starts, before an injury cut her season short. Having Sain back healthy this season will be a huge boost to this team.
Maine brought in just one transfer this season. Taylor Schwab, a NAIA All-GSAC transfer out of Arizona Christian who averaged 16.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.9 steals, is the lone transfer addition and might have a fairly big role early on. Freshmen Ayla Corrigale, Ava Sewall, Zeina Haleem, and Aina Real round out the newcomers, as the four freshmen will have the opportunity to break into the rotation. Emmie Stevens returns with nine starts from last year, while Maddie Fitzpatrick returns after starting one game. Izzy Allen, Abby Price, Bailey Breen, and Mackenzie Mori also return and will have the opportunity to earn a bigger role and provide solid depth.
Replacing the scoring won't be Maine's only problem. Maine finished dead last in the conference in rebounding margin and eighth in opponent field-goal percentage last season, even with Smith patrolling the frontcourt. If Maine can get solid contributions on the defensive end of the floor and the rebounding is better, this is a team that could be much better than expected coming into the season.
Players to watch: Lala Woods, Taylor Schwab, Kaliyah Sain, Lizzy Gruber
New Hampshire
Record: 10-20, 4-12 America East (7th, tie)
Coach: Megan Shoniker, 3rd season, 20-40
New Hampshire's season finished slowly, with a 2-6 record over the final eight games; three of those losses were by single digits in one brutal ten-day stretch, and the team started 6-7. Now Shoniker has to replace the player who mattered most to the team last year. DeChent scored 18.1 points and grabbed 5.5 rebounds a contest and was named to the All-America East second team. She has since transferred to San Diego State. Team captain Camryn Fauria, a 25-game starter, Lucia Melero, a 24-game starter, and Kenzie Matulois, a 27-game starter, all graduated, giving New Hampshire just one returning starter this season.
Elizabeth Lavoie is the lone starter returning, as she started 28 games last season. She averaged 7.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game last year, both of the third-best marks on the team. Maggie Cavanaugh played the second most minutes on the team last year and put up 8.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. These two returners will now have to step into featured roles rather than solid talent around the floor. Carolina Williams, Alia Cordone, Averie Harding, and Kassidy Thompson are all returning players who will step into bigger roles this season. Sophia Sabino, a Bucknell transfer before the 2025-26 season, did not play last season, but after averaging 7.2 points a game and starting 29 games in 2024-25 at Bucknell, will look to play a big role this season.
Shoniker had to add pieces to this group after the graduation losses, and she did that with three transfers and five incoming freshmen. Mount St. Mary's transfer Erin Edmonds appeared in 21 games with two starts and averaged 3.1 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. Maya Braxton-Young comes in from South Plains College, where she averaged 6.4 points per game over her career, and Anya McKenzie arrives from West Georgia. Ella Getz, Charlotte Jasmin, Sam Eller, Scarlet LeVake, and Delaney Todd are the freshman newcomers and will have the ability to break into the rotation for their freshman season.
New Hampshire's season will hinge on how much of DeChent's production can be made up by the incoming players on the roster. Sabino will play a big role alongside Cavanaugh and Lavoie, but the story of the season will be the newcomers and how well they integrate and become productive.
Players to watch: Maggie Cavanaugh, Elizabeth Lavoie, Erin Edmonds, Sophia Sabino
UMass Lowell
Record: 8-21, 2-14 America East (9th)
Coach: Brianna Finch, 1st season, 0-0
UMass Lowell has had three different head coaches in three seasons and once again enters the season with unknowns. Former head coach Jon Plefka and the program mutually parted ways in mid-March after an eight-win season that included a ten-game losing streak right after the holidays, three of those losses by ten points or fewer. Brianna Finch, via the George Washington staff, was named his replacement in early April.
Gutted rosters due to the transfer portal are generally what new head coaches need to deal with, but it was the opposite for Finch. Only one player left via the portal: Paris Gilmore, who averaged 8.4 points a game and transferred to Marshall. The biggest losses came from graduations as UMass Lowell saw six players leave the program after graduating. Jaini Edmonds and Sabrina Larsson were the biggest departures, as they both started more than 27 games and combined for 21.2 points per game. As a result, three of UMass Lowell's top four scorers are no longer with the program.
Maddie Rice and Tyanna Medina return as the top scoring options, after scoring 8.2 points and 6.5 points per game respectively last season. Klimentina Modeva, Amina Kameric, and Nia Chima are back in the rotation this year and will look to play an expanded role on a roster looking to find its footing. Jennah Johnson returns as a sophomore after missing the 2025-26 season. She saw playing time two seasons ago but not this past season. Carla Subirats and Adna Halilbasic are another pair of returning players who saw limited playing time last season.
Currently, UMass Lowell has only eight players on their roster with no incoming freshmen or transfers listed. However, in May, the program announced Izabella Asp, Yazmin Edwards, Kylie Diaz, Hedda Hakanson, Milena Lund, and Achol Agok as newcomers on social media. How these newcomers integrate with the returning players and affect the team will be a key factor in UMass Lowell's season.
Players to watch: Maddie Rice, Tyanna Medina, Kylie Diaz, Jennah Johnson
America East Round-Up
The biggest story this season isn't any single team, but the league's turnover from both a coaching and player perspective. Three programs changed coaches, the Player of the Year and the Newcomer of the Year both departed, and 11 of the 15 all-conference honorees left within a few months of each other. This is a lot of departed production for a nine-team league to absorb in one offseason. That kind of turnover usually means the preseason order means less than it normally would, as teams that project well on paper still have to prove it with mostly new faces in new roles. Teams picked lower have more room than usual to outperform if even one or two newcomers hit. Don't be shocked if this year's actual standings look meaningfully different from this list by March.
Editor's Note:
Records and conference standings reflect the final 2025-26 America East regular season. Player stats reflect 2025-26 production, unless noted. All nine rosters have been confirmed against official, live 2026-27 team pages as of August 30th. Coaching and roster notes reflect known offseason moves as of August 30th. Roster additions may shift rosters before the season opens in November and may affect the order as of this writing.