The Notre Dame of Maryland University women’s basketball team was ranked fifth in the United East Conference preseason poll, receiving 95 points. The Gators enter the 2026-27 season after finishing 12-12 overall and 8-5 in conference play during the 2025-26 season.
Notre Dame of Maryland finished sixth in the 2025-26 regular-season conference standings. The Gators return 11 players from last season’s team, led by first-team all-conference selection Amani Watts.
St. Mary’s Leads United East Preseason Poll
Defending champion St. Mary’s was picked to repeat, receiving 11 first-place votes and 142 total points. Penn College received one first-place vote and 125 points, while Penn State Abington also received one first-place vote and 124 points.
Cedar Crest was fourth with 107 points, followed by Notre Dame of Maryland with 95 points. The preseason ranking places the Gators fifth entering the new season after their sixth-place regular-season finish in 2025-26.
Notre Dame of Maryland University Women’s Basketball Opens Against Johns Hopkins
The Gators open the regular season this weekend against cross-town rival No. 7 Johns Hopkins on Saturday afternoon. (Exact game time was not provided in the announcement.)
Watts is the returning player identified in the announcement as a first-team all-conference selection. She will be part of a Notre Dame of Maryland group that includes 11 returning players from last season’s team.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
The fifth-place preseason selection gives Notre Dame of Maryland University women’s basketball a position to improve upon after last season’s sixth-place regular-season finish. The Gators return 11 players, including Watts, and will begin the regular season against No. 7 Johns Hopkins.
Source: Original report
