Barbot Goes Back-To-Back As CAA Preseason Player of the Year; Charleston Headlines Coaches Poll
Ben Kane
RICHMOND, Va (Oct. 2, 2025) – Charleston has been selected as the favorite to win the 2025-26 CAA Women’s Basketball title, while the Cougars’ junior guard Taryn Barbot was named CAA Preseason Player of the Year for the second-straight season by a vote of the league’s 13 head coaches.
After a record-setting season, Charleston collected eight first-place votes to take the top spot in the preseason predicted order of finish. Perennial contender Drexel garnered two first-place votes to rank second, while defending CAA regular-season champion North Carolina A&T got three first-place votes and was picked third.
Campbell and Elon round out the top five, followed by the defending CAA champion, William & Mary, which was picked to finish sixth. Towson, Monmouth, and Hofstra slot into the next three spots, followed by UNCW, Hampton, Stony Brook, and Northeastern to round out the 13-team poll.
Barbot became Charleston’s first CAA Player of the Year last season after scoring 17.7 points per game alongside 7.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists. The junior got hot early and often offensively, scoring 20+ points in 12 of her games last season, and never had less than 19 points once the calendar turned to March. The All-CAA First Team Selection and All-CAA Defensive Team honoree also eclipsed 1,000 career points in the Cougars’ WNIT run, becoming the first sophomore in program history to reach the milestone and the fastest of any men’s or women’s player to do so.
Barbot was accompanied on the preseason All-CAA First Team by Elon sophomore guard Jayda Angel, Drexel graduate student guard Amaris Baker, Campbell senior guard Gianni Boone, and North Carolina A&T redshirt-senior center Chaniya Clark.
Reaching 25 wins for the first time in program history, Charleston had a season for the record books. Led by the CAA Player of the Year, the Cougars finished with a 25-8 record overall and a 14-4 mark in conference play. Despite falling in the semifinals of the conference tournament, Robin Harmony’s program ended on a high note with Charleston earning its first postseason win inside TD Arena after defeating Howard in the WNIT. Alongside Barbot, All-CAA Third Team selection Taylor Barbot also makes her return after averaging 11.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists.
Drexel posted its 11th consecutive winning season under coach Amy Mallon in 2024-25 with a 17-13 overall mark. Led by Preseason All-CAA and last season’s All-CAA First team selection Amaris Baker (17.0 ppg), the Dragons return two other starters: Grace O’Neill (5.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, and 3.6 apg) and Deja Evans (9.4 ppg and 6.1 rpg), with the trio combining for an impressive 53.23% of Drexel’s points in the 2024-25 campaign.
North Carolina A&T returns the CAA Coach of the Year, Tarrell Robinson, who will be looking to replicate his program’s success from last season. Finishing with a 19-12 overall record and going 15-3 in conference play, Chaniya Clark headlines a group of Aggies returning for the 2024-25 CAA Regular Season champions. Clark, a preseason All-CAA first team selection, was a force on the defensive end last season, averaging 7.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, and became the first player in program history to have more than 100 blocks in a career.
The 2025-26 regular season tips off on November 3rd, with the season culminating once again in Washington, D.C., at CareFirst Arena for the 2026 CAA Women’s Basketball Championship on March 11-15.
2025-26 CAA Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll
|
Team (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. |
Charleston (8) |
139 |
| 2. |
Drexel (2) |
125 |
| 3. |
N.C. A&T (3) |
124 |
| 4. |
Campbell |
112 |
| 5. |
Elon |
87 |
| 6. |
William & Mary |
83 |
| 7. |
Towson |
79 |
| 8. |
Monmouth |
71 |
| 9. |
Hofstra |
67 |
| 10. |
UNCW |
39 |
| 11. |
Hampton |
37 |
| 12. |
Stony Brook |
33 |
| 13. |
Northeastern |
18 |
Preseason Player of the Year: Taryn Barbot (Charleston)
2025-26 All-CAA Preseason First Team
| Name |
School |
Class |
Position |
Hometown |
| Jayda Angel |
Elon |
So. |
G |
Fayetteville, N.C. |
| Amaris Baker |
Drexel |
Gr. |
G |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Taryn Barbot |
Charleston |
Jr. |
G |
Floral Park, N.Y. |
| Gianni Boone |
Campbell |
Sr. |
G |
Washington, D.C. |
| Chaniya Clark |
N.C. A&T |
R-Sr. |
C |
Fort Myers, Fla. |
2025-26 All-CAA Preseason Second Team
| Name |
School |
Class |
Position |
Hometown |
| Taylor Barbot |
Charleston |
Jr. |
G |
Floral Park, N.Y. |
| Cassidy Geddes |
William & Mary |
Jr. |
G |
Hickory, N.C. |
| India Johnston |
Towson |
Sr. |
G |
Bear, Del. |
| Paris Locke |
N.C. A&T |
Jr. |
F |
Baltimore, Md. |
| Chloe Sterling |
Hofstra |
Sr. |
G |
Kennesaw, Ga. |
Honorable Mention: Divine Dibula (Monmouth), Deja Evans (Drexel), Yirsy Queliz (Northeastern), D’Mya Tucker (N.C. A&T), Emma Von Essen (Hofstra)