First-year head coach Ben O'Brien and the Leopards received 52 points to finish fifth in the preseason poll. Navy topped the chart with 81 (nine first-place votes) points, followed by Army with a total of 71. Lehigh claimed 67 points and one first-place vote in the third slot, while Holy Cross rounded out the top four with 53. Bucknell (37), Boston U. (26), Colgate (22) Loyola Maryland (21) and American (20) completed the list.

Kiewiet started in 28 games for the Leopards last winter, averaging 34 minutes per outing. She contributed a team-best 16.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg and 1.2 apg. Her season-highs in scoring came against American with 26 points, while she knocked down five three pointers against Marist. The North Mankato, Minn. native netted a career-high 10-of-11 at the line with 10 rebounds at Army. Kiewiet recorded double-digits in points in 25 contests, five double-doubles and finished the year in the top 10 of Lafayette's single-season scoring list in 2025-26. Her post-season accolades included the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year (the first Leopard in conference history to win the award since its inception in 1990-91) and All-Conference Second Team.

In the classroom, Kiewiet earned two Lafayette academic awards with the maintenance of a 4.0 grade-point average as an Engineering major. She was awarded both the Viscomi Prize (awarded to civil and environmental engineering students based on demonstrated academic achievement and leadership during their first three years of study) and the Russell C. Brinker Prize (awarded to juniors in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department who, in the opinion of that department's faculty, are deemed most deserving on the basis of self-reliance, scholarship and student activities).

Earlier in her Leopard career, she was selected to the league honor roll three times and to the CSC Academic All-District Team once.

Lafayette begins the 2026-27 campaign on Monday, Nov. 2 at St. John's, which is a member of the Big East Conference, in the second-ever series meeting.

2026-27 Women's Basketball Preseason Player and Defensive Player of the Year: Zanai Barnett-Gay, Navy, Sr., G

2026-27 Patriot League Women's Basketball Preseason All-Patriot League Team
Camryn Tade, Army West Point, Sr., G
Kya Smith, Army West Point, Sr., F
Teresa Kiewiet, Lafayette, Sr., G 
Leia Edwards, Lehigh, So., F
Zanai Barnett-Gay, Navy, Sr., G
 
2026-27 Patriot League Women's Basketball Preseason Poll

1. Navy – 81 total points (9 first-place votes)

2. Army West Point – 71 

3. Lehigh – 67 (1)

4. Holy Cross – 53

5. Lafayette – 52

6. Bucknell – 37

7. Boston University – 26 

8. Colgate – 22

9. Loyola Maryland – 21

10.  American – 20 

Voting for the Patriot League women's basketball preseason poll, Player of the Year, and All-League team was conducted by league head coaches who are not permitted to vote for their own teams or student-athletes.


For the latest on the Lafayette College women's basketball program, follow the Leopards on X @LafayetteWBB and Instagram @lafayettewbb.