MARLBOROUGH, Mass.—The Babson College women's basketball team was picked to finish third in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) preseason coaches' poll that was released on Thursday morning.
Defending champion Smith collected 11 of 12 first-place votes to finish atop the poll with 121 points. Defending runner-up Clark got the remaining top vote and finish second with 103 points, just one point ahead of Babson (102), which tied Clark for second in last year's regular season race. MIT (86 points) and Springfield (82) rounded out the top five in the poll.
The Green and White return 11 players, including five of the top seven scorers, from last year's team that went 18-9 overall and 9-2 in NEWMAC games. The Beavers hosted a pair of home playoff games, falling in the semifinals. Led by fourth-year head coach
Kate Barnosky, Babson has been in at least the NEWMAC semifinals 16 of the last 17 seasons.
Babson opens the 2026-27 campaign with a pair of home games, beginning a match-up against Roger Williams on November 6 at Staake Gymnasium at 5 p.m.
2026-27 NEWMAC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
| Rank |
School (first-place votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
Smith (11) |
121 |
| 2 |
Clark (1) |
103 |
| 3 |
Babson |
102 |
| 4 |
MIT |
86 |
| 5 |
Springfield |
82 |
| 6 |
WPI |
76 |
| 7 |
Emerson |
60 |
| 8 |
Coast Guard |
55 |
| 9 |
Wellesley |
40 |
| 10 |
Salve Regina |
33 |
| 11 |
Wheaton |
23 |
| 12 |
Mount Holyoke |
11 |
