Most of the headlines coming out of the scholastic live period will revolve around individual players and their performance in front of hundreds of college coaches.
But the NEPAC Girls Scholastic Showcase at Worcester Academy will also be our first tease to the next winter prep school season.
We've turned the page on 2025-26 and I'm noting which schools are in transition phases, which schools are under new leadership and which schools loaded up with new talent. These aren't the 10 best programs in NEPSAC (you might see a way-too-early ranking in the not-too-distant future), but they instead have some of the most interesting storylines around the region. Though I'm not weighing wins and losses too heavily, I will note who's standing out quickly and which squads seem to have early chemistry.
Here are 10 teams I'm intrigued by as I prepare for the three-day showcase.
SCHOLASTIC SHOWCASE PREVIEWS:Â Full schedule | 12 players to watch
Class AAA
Hoosac
The defending class champions return Anna Moser, our AAA Player of the Year, who has maintained her breakout with a stellar grassroots season. But behind Moser, Hoosac is filled with uncertainty. Uliana Doronina, Tanavia Turpin, A'Briyah Cunningham, Rhya Wilson and Sophia Lee have all graduated. Teagan Keane, who recently committed to Marist, is the only other returner with significant experience in this program.
That's fine, because as head coach Julie McBride showed last winter, she's fully capable of finding and integrating transfers successfully. But this will be our first chance to learn about potential new impact players.
NEPSAC NEWCOMERS: 12 guard transfers | 10 forward transfers
New Hampton
The Huskies fought their way to a runner-up finish in Class AAA, coming up two points short against Hoosac. They graduated arguably NEPSAC's best duo in Elyse Ngenda and Serenity Lancaster, along with one-year impact wing Chloe Dix and sharpshooter Kailey Sullivan.
To replenish the loss of talent and leadership, New Hampton has restocked the frontcourt with a pair of Bedford, N.H. top prospects in Mel McCarthy and Eva Zink, who join Shannon O'Leary. In the backcourt, Saige DeJesus, Ava Perry and Casey Stores will have to level up in Ngenda's absence. This is still a team deep enough to compete for a AAA title, but I want to see how the group meshes.
Newman
The Cardinals were competitive in their first AAA season and successful on a broader NEPSAC-wide scale during Katie Kolinski's first season as head coach. But are they ready for the leap to true championship contention this winter?
This roster brings back top prospects like Gabby Middleton, Ayla Keefe, Hillary Simo and Shannon Welburn. Kolinski also made serious splashes in recruiting. I noted Khalia Lewis and Lila McCarty in our NEPSAC newcomer stories, but Newman's most significant addition might be recently-announced Melody Vaughn. A 2029 guard from Glassboro, N.J., Vaughn already boasts a handful of Div. 1 high-major offers. She could be the cherry on top of a super deep roster.
Class AA
Brimmer & May
Last year, though Brimmer & May struggled to win at the Scholastic Showcase, I came away noticing the buzz around the young roster. They Gators similarly experienced a tough learning curve in their first AA season. But this is a great chance to show the core has stepped forward. Jaliah Duplessy, one of our early top 2029 guard prospects, and 2030 wing Corey Sims are the returning leaders with sharpshooting 2028 guard Avery Wozniak. Transfer Genesis Castro provides a huge backcourt boost as a 2029 guard with experience as a winner and leader with Barrington in the RIIL. I want to see the Gators beat at least one of Austin Prep/Hotchkiss, St. George's or MacDuffie on their schedule.
MacDuffie
This is, to me, the clear most interesting new-look roster in NEPSAC. MacDuffie has long struggled to stay afloat in Class AA, but Kahari Beaufort has bolstered the team in his second year leading the program. Sammi Santacroce, previously a leader at Suffield, transfers in as a 2027 scoring guard. Breakout 2029 star Reese Jeamel joins from Coventry, elite shooter Layla Ljubuncic joins from Lewis Mills and Maya Ocana-Saunders joins from Springfield Central. They'll team up with incumbent standout Autumn Udoh, and all five play for Beaufort on iBelieve Elite. Class AA on the whole lost a lot of star talent to graduation, so this could be MacDuffie's year to join the title picture.
Marianapolis
Last winter, Marianapolis stepped up and earned one of five AA playoff spots. It felt like this roster, led by a strong 2027 core, was building up to this season — but coach Wes Howard has departed the program, with assistant Dan Nagle taking his place. Nagle has added even more guard talent in Gianah Estevez, Jaidelis Rivera and more. Like the previous two squads, Marianapolis has been a competitive-but-not-quite-contending AA program in recent years. If Nagle and the team click, they could join the top tier.
Class A
Loomis Chaffee
The Pelicans' grip on Class A relinquished with last year's championship defeat to Sacred Heart. Though steady seniors Izzy Cruz and Lauren Wright have graduated, Loomis brings back much of its depth, highlighted by recent Sacred Heart (University) commit Leah McKenzie. I'm monitoring a few potential breakout players. I noted Itansan Eugene-Ajayi already, but the backcourt of Madi Wright and Neve Rugette intrigues me too, along with scoring forward LaLa Goode. I trust coach Adrian Stewart to put this team in the title hunt every winter.
Phillips Andover
Phillips Andover logged its most promising NEPSAC season since the 1990s with last year's Class A semifinal run. That roster only had one senior. Jules Stevenson (2028) and Alani Rodriguez (2027) are back to command the backcourt, Emma Moore is among the underrated centers in the 2028 class and Sophie Stetson (2029) flies under the radar for her defensive impact. Does this program have another gear to get to a championship?
Mixed
Dana Hall/Kents Hill/Phillips Exeter
I think Phillips Exeter could be a sleeper team in Class A after missing the postseason last winter. They added postgrad Ella Smith from Berwick and 2029 guard Mollie Puffer (who just added her second Div. 1 offer from BU) from Sanford, Maine. Caroline Chadwick can also catch fire behind the arc. From the other two schools, I'd keep an eye on 2028 guard Valentina Resto (Dana Hall) and 2027 forward Kensley Malcore (Kents Hill).
Millbrook/Miss Porter's/Taft
This squad features two notable prep-to-prep transfer guards. Trinity Robinson has reclassified to 2028 and joined Millbrook after winning a Class B Small title with Hamden Hall. Sharpshooting guard Sarah von Dohlen, previously with Greens Farms, is taking her postgrad year at Miss Porter's. We'll also see 2027s Sara Santimaw and Jalisa Matthews, two key pieces from Taft's Class A semifinal squad, at the Scholastic Showcase.
