NEW YORK | After falling just short in last year’s championship game, the United States Merchant Marine Academy has been selected as the favorite according to the league’s preseason coaches’ poll. The Mariners, who captured the 2024-25 regular-season title before being edged by Mount Saint Mary in the Skyline final, received 98 points and eight first-place votes from the league’s head coaches. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.

Mount Saint Mary, the defending Skyline champion, enters the new campaign tied for second in the poll with 85 points and two first-place votes, alongside Manhattanville University (85 points, one first-place vote). The Knights will look to defend their title after knocking off top-seeded Merchant Marine in last year’s championship, while the Valiants return a strong core following a semifinal appearance and a top-three regular-season finish.

Farmingdale State landed fourth with 69 points, while Mount Saint Vincent (65) and St. Joseph’s-Long Island (62) followed closely behind. St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn checked in seventh with 45 points, with Purchase (35), Sarah Lawrence (28), Yeshiva (24), and Old Westbury (9) rounding out the poll.

The 2025-26 Women’s Basketball season opens up on Friday, November 7. The Skyline Conference Championship tournament will begin with first-round play on Tuesday, February 24, followed by semifinals on Thursday, February 26. The championship final is slated for Saturday, February 28, hosted by the highest remaining seed, with the winner earning the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship

2025-26 Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll
Rank, School, Pts., (First-Place Votes)
1. Merchant Marine, 98 (8)
T2. Manhattanville, 85 (1)
T2. Mount Saint Mary, 85 (2)
4. Farmingdale State, 69
5. Mount Saint Vincent, 65
6. St. Joseph's-Long Island, 62
7. St. Joseph's-Brooklyn, 45
8. Purchase, 35
9. Sarah Lawrence, 28
10. Yeshiva, 24
11. Old Westbury, 9