Gamble Named Preseason Player of the Year; Monmouth Tabbed CAA Women’s Basketball Favorite
RICHMOND, Va. (Oct. 15, 2026) -- The Coastal Athletic Association revealed its 2026-27 Women’s Basketball Preseason Awards and Coaches Poll on Thursday, with Monmouth selected as the preseason favorite to capture the conference championship and Hawks’ senior guard Gigi Gamble chosen as the CAA Women’s Basketball Preseason Player of the Year.
All awards were voted on by the CAA’s 13 head coaches. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players or teams.
Gamble, a first-team All-CAA selection last season, returns after leading the Hawks in scoring at 15.2 points per game, the fourth-highest mark in the conference. The Somerset, N.J., native scored in double figures 21 times and recorded 10 games with 20 or more points. Gamble’s season was highlighted by a career-high 41-point performance against Towson on March 5, shooting 14-of-20 from the field and 6-of-7 from the three.
Gamble was joined on the Preseason All-CAA First Team by teammate and fifth-year forward Divine Dibula, who earned second-team All-CAA honors last season after averaging 13.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
The remainder of the First Team features William & Mary senior guard Cassidy Geddes, a second-team All-CAA selection a season ago who recorded seven 20-point games and surpassed 1,000 career points; North Carolina A&T senior forward Paris Locke, who averaged 11.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game; and Drexel senior guard Laine McGurk, who averaged 12.8 points per game and posted a career-high 33 points against Pitt last season.
Monmouth was unanimously selected as the favorite in the preseason poll, collecting 12 first-place votes and 144 points. Elon followed in second with 116 points, while Drexel earned 109 points to rank third. William & Mary received the remaining first-place vote and was picked fourth with 108 points.
Towson completed the top five with 99 points, followed by North Carolina A&T with 89. Stony Brook tallied 88 points, while reigning CAA champion Charleston totaled 71. Hofstra landed ninth with 56 points, while Hampton followed with 51. Northeastern earned 35 points, and Campbell earned 30 points. UNCW rounded out the 13-team poll with 18 points.
Monmouth is coming off a 21-12 campaign in 2025-26, marking the program’s fifth season all-time with at least 20 wins and its second 20-win season in the last 15 years. Under head coach Cait Wetmore, the Hawks advanced to the second round of the WNIT for the second time in three seasons.
Elon finished 16-16 overall and 10-8 in conference play a year ago. The Phoenix welcomes back leading scorer LaNae Corbett and Jayda Angel, who was the CAA Rookie of the Year in 2024-25. Drexel is coming off a 21-11 campaign that culminated with a bid to the WNIT, marking the program’s fifth postseason appearance in the last six seasons. Along with McGurk, the Dragons return guard Molly Rullo. William & Mary was 17-14 after picking up 10 road wins a season ago, the second-most in program history. Geddes is joined by backcourt mate Monet Dance and forward Natalie Fox.
The 2026-27 CAA regular season tips off Nov. 2. The 2027 CAA Women’s Basketball Championship is scheduled for March 10-14 at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C.
2026-27 CAA Women’s Basketball Preseason Awards
| Team (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| Monmouth (12) |
144 |
| Elon |
116 |
| Drexel |
109 |
| William & Mary (1) |
108 |
| Towson |
99 |
| North Carolina A&T |
89 |
| Stony Brook |
88 |
| Charleston |
71 |
| Hofstra |
56 |
| Hampton |
51 |
| Northeastern |
35 |
| Campbell |
30 |
| UNCW |
18 |
Preseason Player of the Year- Gigi Gamble, Monmouth
Preseason All- CAA First Team
| Player |
Team |
Class |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Divine Dibula |
Monmouth |
5th |
F |
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Gigi Gamble |
Monmouth |
Sr. |
G |
Somerset, NJ |
| Cassidy Geddes |
William & Mary |
Sr. |
G |
Hickory, N.C. |
| Paris Locke |
NC A&T |
Sr. |
F |
Baltimore, Md. |
| Laine McGurk |
Drexel |
Sr. |
G |
West Chester, Pa. |
Preseason All- CAA Second Team
| Player |
Team |
Class |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Jayda Angel |
Elon |
R-So. |
G |
Fayetteville, N.C. |
| Tyja Beans |
Charleston |
Sr. |
G |
Daytona Beach, Fla. |
| LaNae’ Corbett |
Elon |
Jr. |
F |
Upper Marlboro, Md. |
| Jasmine Felton |
Campbell |
Jr. |
G |
Elizabeth City, N.C. |
| Kayla Lezama |
Hampton |
R-Sr. |
G |
Boston, Mass. |
CAA Preseason Honorable Mentions: Camryn Collins, G, Northeastern; Monet Dance, G, William & Mary; Caitlin Frost, F, Stony Brook; Abby Jegede, G, Charleston; Kiarra McElrath, G, Hampton; Ava Renninger, G, Towson; Justice Tramble, F, Northeastern;
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