There will be plenty of high-level Division 3 women’s basketball in New England this season, and one of our teams to watch, MIT, will help kick off the 2024-25 slate against the defending national champs.
The Engineers travel to New York City to face NYU in the Scholar’s Classic on Nov. 8. The Violets finished last season 31-0 after winning the title game against Smith, another team on our list below.
Less than a week after MIT meets NYU, two more of our top teams square off when Rhode Island College opens its season at home against Western New England University on Nov. 13.
Here are 10 teams we expect to contend on a regional and national level:
  
Amherst
Last year’s record: 19-6, NESCAC Quarterfinalist
The Mammoths return seven of their top eight rotation players, including their top two scorers and rebounders. Kori Barach (Carlisle, Mass.), a 5-foot-10 senior guard, led Amherst in scoring (13.9), rebounds (7.2), assists (3.1) and steals (2.4) last season, and was named to the All-NESCAC Second Team for the second year in a row. Junior guard Laura Mendell (Westport, Mass.) was second on the team in scoring (9.3) and steals (1.6), while 6-foot junior forward Sylvia Liddle was second on the squad in rebounds (5.9) and scored 5.8 points per game. Amherst also returns 6-2 senior forward Maya Cwalina, who led the 2023-24 team with 47 blocks.
Bates
Last year’s record: 24-6, NESCAC Runner-up, Reached NCAA Sweet 16 (Lost to Wartburg, 54-53)
A pair of dynamic starters return for the Bobcats, who lost on a buzzer-beater in last year’s NCAA tournament. Junior center Elsa Daulerio (Harpswell, Me.) was 20th in the nation last season in blocked shots (64), led Bates in rebounds (7.8) and was second in scoring (13.6), and was named Fourth Team All-American by both D3hoops.com and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). If the 6-foot-3 Daulerio wasn’t blocking opponents’ shots, it was 5-10 senior guard Alexandra Long, who was second in the NESCAC in blocks with 55 and a Second Team All-Conference selection after averaging 7.2 points and 4.9 rebounds.
Bowdoin
Last year’s record: 28-3, NESCAC Tournament Champions, Reached NCAA Elite 8 (Lost to Smith, 52-47)
Sitting at No. 5 in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25, the Polar Bears are the highest-ranked team in New England heading into the season. A big reason why is 2024 First Team All-American senior guard Sydney Jones (Chestnut Hill, Mass.), who led the team in points (15.9), rebounds (7.1), assists (3.6) and steals (1.9) last season. Two other starters return for third-year coach Megan Phelps, who was the D3hoops.com Region 1 Coach of the Year for 2023-24 – junior guard Carly Davey (Westford, Mass.), who was second on the team in scoring (10.3), assists (2.7) and steals (1.3), and senior Callie Godfrey (Cheshire Conn.), a 6-foot forward who was third on team in scoring (9.8) and second in rebounding (5.0).
Middlebury
Last year’s record: 17-9, NESCAC semifinalist
Last season Alexa Mustafaj was eighth in the country in scoring at 23.6 ppg and was named to the D3hoops.com All-Region 1 Second Team, and the 5-5 guard is back for her senior year at Middlebury, as are almost all of the Panthers who played significant minutes in 2023-24. That includes 6-1 senior guard Augusta Dixon, a Second Team All-NESCAC selection last year after leading Middlebury in rebounds (11.6, 23rd in the country) and assists (2.1), and scoring 11.1 points per game. Junior guard Calie Messina (Auburn, Mass.) led the team in steals (1.7) to go along with 7.0 points and 3.8 rebounds.
MIT
Last year’s record: 19-8, NEWMAC semifinalist
The Engineers return 10 of their top 12 scorers from last year, led by 2023-24 All-NEWMAC Second Team selections Angie Choi and Kamsi Nwogu. Choi, a 5-3 senior guard, led the NEWMAC in 3-point percentage last season (43.1 percent) and was third in the conference in points per game (15.6) and steals per game (2.4). Nwogu, a 5-11 senior forward who was a First Team All-NEWMAC pick as a sophomore, led the team in rebounds (9.7) and was third in scoring (13.0). Alice Hall, a 6-1 junior forward, also returns after leading the team in blocks last season with 18 to go along with 5.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
Rhode Island College
Last year’s record: 29-1, Little East Champions, Reached NCAA Sweet 16 (Lost to Washington & Lee, 61-55)
The Anchorwomen have dominated their conference in recent years, winning four straight Little East regular season and tournament titles. Guard Madison Medbury (Scituate, R.I.) was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2024 Little East tournament and averaged 8.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists last season. That earned her Second Team Region 2 honors from D3hoops.com, which has RIC ranked No. 20 in this year’s Preseason Top 25. Medbury and 6-1 forward Angelina Nardolillo (Hinsdale, N.H.) are the two returning starters for head coach Jenna Cosgrove, a Sharon, Mass., native who has a 140-42 record in her eight seasons at RIC. Nardolillo was named Second Team All-Little East last year after averaging 10.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
Smith
Last year’s record: 30-4, NEWMAC Champions, Reached NCAA Championship (Lost to NYU, 51-41)
The Pioneers lost their top three scorers from last year’s team, which reached the first NCAA title game in program history last season before losing to NYU. Smith should be able to fill a big part of that scoring void with graduate transfer guard Ally Landau, who averaged 16.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game last season at Haverford. The Pioneers will also look for another step from 2024 NEWMAC Rookie of the Year Hannah Martin (Haverhill, Mass.), a 5-7 sophomore guard who averaged 8.5 points and 4.1 rebounds last season, as well as senior guard Jane Loo (5.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists) and junior guard Selam Maher (6.7 points, 42.5 three-point percentage).
Springfield
Last year’s record: 22-6, NEWMAC semifinalist, Reached NCAA First Round (Lost to Widener, 57-50)
Coach Naomi Graves, now in her 34th season at Springfield, brings back a versatile group from last year’s team that earned the top seed in the NEWMAC tournament before losing in overtime in the semis to Babson. The returning group is led by 5-10 senior forward Angela Czeremcha (West Springfield, Mass.), who was sixth in the nation in total rebounds (326) last season, led the team in scoring (13.4) and rebounds (11.8) and was named to the WBCA Honorable Mention All-American Team and the All-ECAC Team. Senior center Lindsey Laughlan (6.9 points, 4.7 rebounds), junior guard Amanda Leary (10.6 points) and sophomore guard Claire Finney (6.9 points) also return for the Pride.
UMass Dartmouth
Last year’s record: 24-5, Little East Runner-up, Reached NCAA Second Round (Lost to Bowdoin, 67-59)
The entire eight-person rotation from last season returns for the uber-experienced Corsairs, led by graduate student Carly Whiteside (Barnstable, Mass.). The 6-2 forward was a First Team All-LEC selection in 2024 after averaging 15.9 points and 8.0 rebounds with a conference-best 55.3 field goal percentage. Grad student guard Teja Andrews (Plymouth, Mass.) was second on the team in points (12.9) and field goal percentage (51.7), and led UMass Dartmouth in assists (2.4) and steals (2.7). Fifth-year guard Kaylin Zalewski (Johnston, R.I.) was third on the team scoring last year at 10.1 ppg. The other returning starters are fifth-year guard Jaelyn Lavigne (Litchfield, N.H.) and junior guard Melanie DeMeo.
Western New England
Last year’s record: 22-6, Commonwealth Coast Conference Champions, Reached NCAA First Round (Lost to Bowdoin, 69-48)
The Golden Bears return their leading scorer and rebounder in the person of Shaina Cooney, a 6-foot forward who averaged 11.9 points (.502 shooting percentage) and 7.3 rebounds last season to earn her second straight All-CCC Second Team selection. Senior forward Lilly Hedge (Guilford, Conn.) also returns after starting all 28 games last year and averaging 8.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists, as does 5-11 senior guard Emma Khan (Thomaston, Conn.), who posted 6.3 points and 3.2 rebounds a year ago.
