GORHAM, Maine – Prepping to make the 27
th appearance in the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament in program history and its first since 2013, the University of Southern Maine Huskies' women's basketball team rose to No. 21 in the most recent Women's Basketball Coaches' Association (WBCA) Division III National Poll. The Huskies are in the "Also Receiving Votes" category of the D3hoops.com Poll, and are ranked 30
th (out of 417) in the most recent NCAA Power Index (NPI).
The NCAA Power Index (NPI) is a system that houses the division's statistical data and objectively applies the selection criteria to the data based on the sport committee's established weighted criteria. NPI is a combination of the following: winning percentage; strength of schedule; home-away multiplier; quality win bonus; and overtime results (when relevant).
Claiming the both the 2026 Little East Conference (LEC) Regular Season and Tournament Championship crowns, Southern Maine is 25-2 overall, and finished the LEC regular season with a record of 15-1. Southern Maine clinched the program's 22
nd regular season title with its regular-season ending 70-63 win over VTSU-Castleton, and then went on to claim the Huskies' 21
st LEC tournament title defeating UMass Dartmouth 80-57 in the conference semifinals, and dispatching Rhode Island College 71-54 in the championship game.
Southern Maine is averaging 74.9 points per game while limiting its opponents to 53.6 points per game for a +21.3 point margin. As a team the Huskies are shooting 43.8 percent from the field while holding their opponents to a 35.4 percent clip. Leading the Little East in scoring margin, offense and defense, the Huskies have a LEC-leading assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.2.
2026 LEC Player of the Year
Jaycie Christopher (Skowhegan, Maine) leads a trio of Huskies' scoring in double-figures. The Huskies' 6-0 guard is averaging 19.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 57.5 percent from the field. Making 55-of-116 from beyond-the-arc, Christopher is shooting an NCAA Division III WBB leading 47.4 percent from three-point range.
First team All-LEC guard sophomore
Lucy Wiles (Glenburn, Maine/Hampden Academy) is averaging 17.4 points, 3.0 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and a strong 45.3 percent from three-point range. 2026 LEC Tournament Most Outstanding Player, sophomore
Dakota Shipley (Bath, Maine/Brunswick) is averaging 11.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.7 blocked shots, 1.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game, and is shooting 43.2 percent from the floor.
No. 21 Southern Maine plays in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball National Championship Tournament on Friday, March 6 (5:15 pm) at Bowdoin College's Morrell Gymnasium (Brunswick, Maine). The Huskies will face the Conference of New England Championship Johnson & Wales University (RI) (23-4).
WBCA Division III Women's Basketball Top 25 – March 3, 2026
The WBCA NCAA Division III Top 25 women's basketball coaches' poll, with teams' RECORDS THROUGH SUNDAY in parentheses, total points based on 25 for first place through one point for 25th, ranking in last week's poll, and first-place votes received.
| Rank |
School (Record) |
Points |
Last Week's Rank |
First-Place Votes |
| 1 |
NYU (25-0) |
250 |
1 |
10 |
| 2 |
Scranton (27-0) |
240 |
2 |
0 |
| 3 |
Washington and Lee (28-0) |
229 |
4 |
0 |
| 4 |
Smith (27-1) |
214 |
5 |
0 |
| 5 |
Johns Hopkins (25-1) |
209 |
3 |
0 |
| 6 |
Hope (24-3) |
192 |
9 |
0 |
| 7 |
Bowdoin (24-2) |
187 |
6 |
0 |
| 8 |
UW-Oshkosh (24-3) |
180 |
7 |
0 |
| 9 |
Bates (24-3) |
165 |
12 |
0 |
| 10 |
Baldwin-Wallace (24-3) |
151 |
8 |
0 |
| 11 |
John Carroll (24-4) |
142 |
11 |
0 |
| 12 |
Denison (24-2) |
141 |
10 |
0 |
| 13 |
Ripon (25-2) |
126 |
13 |
0 |
| 14 |
Christopher Newport (23-4) |
124 |
14 |
0 |
| 15 |
Illinois Wesleyan (22-5) |
95 |
16 |
0 |
| 16 |
Ohio Wesleyan (20-5) |
87 |
15 |
0 |
| 17t |
Carroll, WI (22-5) |
86 |
18 |
0 |
| 17t |
Washington-St. Louis (19-6) |
86 |
20 |
0 |
| 19 |
William Paterson (25-2) |
56 |
17 |
0 |
| 20 |
Chicago (17-7) |
44 |
19 |
0 |
| 21t |
Southern Maine (25-2) |
40 |
25t |
0 |
| 21t |
UW-Whitewater (19-8) |
40 |
21 |
0 |
| 23 |
SUNY-Cortland (23-4) |
30 |
22 |
0 |
| 24 |
Trine (23-4) |
25 |
24 |
0 |
| 25 |
Concordia-Moorhead (23-4) |
21 |
23 |
0 |
Dropped out: No. 25t Linfield (22-4).
Others receiving votes: Bethel, MN (22-6) 17; Johnson & Wales (23-4) 16; Hardin-Simmons (22-5) 15; Transylvania (24-4) 14; UW-La Crosse (18-9) 11; Messiah (23-4) 4; DePauw (19-9) 3; Emory (15-10) 3; Texas Lutheran (19-8) 3; Wisconsin Lutheran (23-5) 2; Hunter (20-7) 1 Linfield (22-4) 1.
The WBCA NCAA Division III Coaches Poll Committee is composed of one head coach from each of the 10 NCAA Division III regions. The committee for the 2025-26 season: Samantha Crough, Regis (MA); Brad Fischer, UW-Oshkosh; Eric Harrison, Lehman; Jasen Jonus, Oglethorpe; Melissa Kolbe, Wittenberg; Casey Kushiyama, Puget Sound; Bobbi Morgan, Ursinus; Mia Smith, Illinois Wesleyan; Daphne Thompson, SUNY Oneonta; Kelly Thompson, Roger Williams.
D3hoops.com women's Top 25, Week 13 – Through March 1 Games
Dropped out: No. 19 Maryville (Tenn.); No. 21 WPI; No. 23 UW-Stevens Point.
Others receiving votes: Babson 39; UW-Stevens Point 38; John Carroll 37; WPI 30; Whitworth 25; Grinnell 22; Trinity (Texas) 19; Maryville 14; Western New England 9; Carthage 5; Mary Hardin-Baylor 4; Catholic 4; UW-Platteville 3; Elmhurst 2; New York U. 2.
The
D3hoops.com Top 25 is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country, and is published weekly. Points are awarded on a 25-24-23-22-etc. basis.
2025-2026 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball NPI – March 1, 2026
| NPI Rank |
Team |
Conference |
Region |
DIIIWL |
| 1 |
NYU(AQ) |
UAA |
REGION IV |
25-0 |
| 2 |
Wis.-Oshkosh |
WIAC |
REGION IX |
24-3 |
| 3 |
Wash. & Lee(AQ) |
ODAC |
REGION VI |
28-0 |
| 4 |
Scranton(AQ) |
Landmark |
REGION V |
27-0 |
| 5 |
Johns Hopkins |
Centennial |
REGION V |
25-1 |
| 6 |
Denison |
NCAC |
REGION VII |
24-2 |
| 7 |
Hope(AQ) |
Michigan Intercol. Ath. Assn. |
REGION VII |
24-3 |
| 8 |
Bowdoin |
NESCAC |
REGION I |
24-2 |
| 9 |
John Carroll |
NCAC |
REGION VII |
24-4 |
| 10 |
Wis.-Whitewater |
WIAC |
REGION IX |
19-8 |
| 11 |
Wis.-La Crosse(AQ) |
WIAC |
REGION IX |
18-9 |
| 12 |
Concordia-M'head |
MIAC |
REGION IX |
23-4 |
| 13 |
Bethel (MN)(AQ) |
MIAC |
REGION IX |
22-6 |
| 14 |
Bates(AQ) |
NESCAC |
REGION I |
24-3 |
| 15 |
WashU |
UAA |
REGION VIII |
19-6 |
| 16 |
Ohio Wesleyan |
NCAC |
REGION VII |
20-5 |
| 17 |
Ill. Wesleyan(AQ) |
CCIW |
REGION VIII |
22-5 |
| 18 |
Smith(AQ) |
NEWMAC |
REGION II |
27-1 |
| 19 |
Wis.-Platteville |
WIAC |
REGION IX |
18-8 |
| 20 |
Carroll (WI) |
CCIW |
REGION VIII |
22-5 |
| 21 |
UChicago |
UAA |
REGION VIII |
17-7 |
| 22 |
SUNY New Paltz(AQ) |
SUNYAC |
REGION III |
25-2 |
| 23 |
Ripon(AQ) |
MWC |
REGION IX |
25-2 |
| 24 |
Baldwin Wallace |
OAC |
REGION VII |
24-3 |
| 25 |
Trine |
Michigan Intercol. Ath. Assn. |
REGION VII |
22-5 |
| 26 |
UW-River Falls |
WIAC |
REGION IX |
16-11 |
| 27 |
Gettysburg(AQ) |
Centennial |
REGION V |
21-6 |
| 28 |
Wis. Lutheran(AQ) |
NACC |
REGION VIII |
23-4 |
| 29 |
DePauw(AQ) |
NCAC |
REGION VII |
19-9 |
| 30 |
Southern Me.(AQ) |
Little East |
REGION II |
25-2 |
The NCAA Power Index (NPI) is a system that houses the division's statistical data and objectively applies the selection criteria to the data based on the sport committee's established weighted criteria. NPI is a combination of the following: winning percentage; strength of schedule; home-away multiplier; quality win bonus; and overtime results (when relevant).
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