Bridgewater, N.J. – The Le Moyne College women's basketball team has been selected to finish fourth in the NEC standings this season in the preseason coaches poll, as voted upon by the league's 10 head coaches and announced by the conference office on Monday afternoon. Sophomore guard Eli Clark (Oakhurst, N.J./Ocean Township) was tabbed by the head coaches to the preseason All-NEC Team.

Defending NEC champion FDU was a unanimous selection to repeat as the league winner. The Knights went 16-0 in league play en route to 29 overall wins on the season.

Stonehill College, which fell to FDU in last season's title game, landed second in the poll, while Chicago State, which FDU defeated in the semifinals, placed third. Le Moyne, which joins FDU as the only teams in the conference to win an NEC Tournament game each of the last two years, finished in fourth place in the poll as the last team expected to host a first-round matchup.

Central Connecticut State University kicks off the bottom half of the expected tournament teams in fifth place. Mercyhurst University came in sixth in the poll in its first year of conference tournament eligibility. Wagner College landed seventh, while LIU is the final team expected to make the league playoffs.

NEC-newcomer University of New Haven placed ninth and Saint Francis University rounded out the poll.

The 2026 NEC Women's Basketball Championship will remain an eight-team playoff format with all games taking place at the home of the higher seed. Tournament dates are set for March 9, 12 and 15. Mercyhurst is now eligible for the NEC Tournament, with New Haven set to join the postseason ranks starting in 2026-27.
 
If Le Moyne or Mercyhurst, both reclassifying institutions, wins the NEC Tournament championship, the tournament runner-up will advance to the NCAA Tournament as the NEC's automatic qualifier, per current policy. If Le Moyne and Mercyhurst both reach the NEC final, the NEC will stage an "AQ Qualifier" game between the two non-advancing semifinal teams. This will serve as a decisive game to determine the team that will secure the NEC's spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Clark, who was named to the NEC All-Rookie Team following her first season of play, is Le Moyne's first preseason all-NEC selection. Clark recorded averages of 8.2 points (third on the team), 3.3 rebounds (fifth on the team) and a team-best 2.9 assists over a team-high 31.5 minutes per game as a starter in 27 of 30 games played. During NEC action, she increased her averages to 8.5 points and 3.5 assists to go with 3.1 rebounds as a starter in 12 of 15 games. She scored in double digits in 10 contests, including a season-high 16 in a home win over Mercyhurst on February 8. She dished out a season-best 10 assists in a home victory over Chicago State on January 18.

The Dolphins open their third regular season at the Division I level on Monday, November 3 at St. John's University at 2:00 p.m. after hosting the University of Rochester for an exhibition matchup on Friday, October 31 at 6:00 p.m. The Dolphins begin NEC play on Friday, January 2 at home against Saint Francis University.