PITMAN, N.J. - Coming off back-to-back trips to the NJAC Championship game, the TCNJ women's basketball team was picked as the favorite to win the conference in the NJAC Preseason Coaches Poll, as released by the league office this morning.
 
The Lions received six of nine possible first-place votes to claim the top spot for the second straight season, with reigning champion Montclair State (three first-place votes) and Rowan rounding out the top three. New Jersey City received the final first-place vote.
 
TCNJ returns plenty of firepower from a 2024-25 roster that finished first in the NJAC in scoring defense and second in offense en route to its runner-up finish, headlined by All-Conference selections Grace Kowalski (Second Team) and Katie Fricker (Honorable Mention).
 
Kowalski will likely be given the keys to the offense after averaging career-best marks in scoring (12.4 points per game) and assists (3.1) as a sophomore, while Fricker is coming off an impressive junior campaign in which she averaged 10.3 points and a team-best 6.1 rebounds per game. That duo will be flanked by impact returners in Myah Hourigan-Hutton, Amanda Baylock, Brooke McFadden and Cassidy Brown alongside six newcomers as the Lions look to win their first NJAC Championship under head coach Chessie Jackson.
 
The Lions open their 2025-26 campaign this Saturday when they host Arcadia as part of a non-conference slate that features games against 11th-ranked Trinity, 20th-ranked Christopher Newport and fourth-ranked Smith College. NJAC play will kick off Tuesday, Nov. 25 with a game against William Paterson.
 
2025-26 NJAC Preseason Women's Basketball Coaches Poll:
1. TCNJ (6 First-Place Votes)
2. Montclair State (3 First-Place Votes)
3. Rowan
4. William Paterson
5. Stockton
6. Rutgers-Camden (dark horse)
7. NJCU (1 First-Place Vote)
8. Kean
9. Ramapo
10. Rutgers-Newark