BOSTON, Mass. -- After a vote by the head coaches in the league, the Christopher Newport women's basketball team was a unanimous pick to win the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference in the 2026-27 season. The Captains earned all seven first-place votes and 49 points as the team is favored to capture an eighth straight conference crown. Additionally, the D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25 was announced on Thursday listing CNU at No. 12 in the rankings.
Christopher Newport, coming off a 24-5 overall record and a tenth consecutive NCAA Division III Championship tournament appearance in 2025-26, was picked to win the C2C for the tenth time in the eleven seasons since the poll originated in 2013-14.
CNU collected 49 points and all seven first-place votes as head coaches do not vote for their own team in the preseason rankings. Salisbury was picked second with points and the remaining first-place vote and was followed closely by Mary Washington with 38 points. League newcomer JWU Charlotte was picked fourth with 31 points and UC Santa Cruz rounded out the top five with 27 points. Regent (16 pts), Warren Wilson (15 pts), and Alverno (8 pts) finish out the 2026-27 poll.
In order to capture an eighth straight conference crown, the Captains will lean heavily on a veteran lineup that includes the return of four starters this season. Seniors
Elizabeth Creed,
Caitlin Crump, and
Jessica Dornak are back in the starting five along with junior All-Region guard
Madison McKenzie. In addition to the returning starters, the Captains also return ten more letterwinners from a year ago and all ten averaged at least 6.5 minutes per game last season.
The Captains will be led by head coach
Bill Broderick in his 14th season on the sidelines and the CNU helmsman enters the year with a 332-52 all-time record at Christopher Newport. He ranks third among active Division III coaches with at least ten years of experience with an 84.6 percent winning percentage.
The 2026-27 season is set to to begin next weekend as the Captains travel to the Susquehanna Tip-Off Tournament for game one on Saturday, November 7. CNU will face SUNY Cobleskill in the opener before facing either the host River Hawks or St. John Fisher on day two of the season. The Captains will then come back home for the first game in the Freeman Center on Wednesday, November 11 at 6:00 p.m.
2026-27 Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll
| Rank |
Team |
Points (1st) |
| 1 |
Christopher Newport |
49 (7) |
| 2 |
Salisbury |
40 (1) |
| 3 |
Mary Washington |
38 |
| 4 |
JWU Charlotte |
31 |
| 5 |
UC Santa Cruz |
27 |
| 6 |
Regent |
16 |
| 7 |
Warren Wilson |
15 |
| 8 |
Alverno |
8 |
2026-27 D3hoops.com Top 25 Preseason Poll
