ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (Mar. 4, 2026) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), today announced the 2026 Women’s Basketball Major Award winners, as voted on by the league’s 13 head coaches.
Highlighting major award winners was Kaety L’Amoreaux of Fairfield University, being named as the MAAC Player of the Year. Merrimack College led all institutions with a pair of major award winners in Paloma Garcia as the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year while Warriors head coach, Kelly Morrone, was chosen by her peers as MAAC Coach of the Year. Also receiving postseason awards were Karson Martin of Quinnipiac University, the MAAC Sixth Player of the Year, and Francesca Schiro of Siena University, the MAAC Rookie of the Year.
A unanimous All-MAAC First Team selection and All-Defensive Team choice, L’Amoreaux appeared in every game this season for Fairfield leading to the MAAC Player of the Year honors. She was the MAAC leader in total scoring, accounting for 537 points, 18.5 points per game, assists with 132, assists per game at 4.6, field goals made, field goal percentage, free throws with 120, and recorded the only triple double in the MAAC this season. L’Amoreaux ranked second in assist to turnover ratio (1.76) and had the third best marks in steals and steals per game, logging 65 and 2.24, respectively. L’Amoreaux becomes the third MAAC Player of the Year from Fairfield since 2022, joining teammate Janelle Brown (2024) and Lou Lopez-Senechal, who won the award in 2022.
Garcia, which was named to the MAAC All-Defensive Team, earned Defensive Player of the Year accolades. Garcia led the MAAC in steals (75) and steals per game (2.68) during the 2025-26 regular season. Both marks were top-40 in the nation, with her steals average ranked 38
th and her total steals ranking 40
th. In addition to her defensive stats, Garcia posted 8.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, with 12 blocks for the Warriors.
The unanimous MAAC Sixth Player of the Year was Martin from Quinnipiac. A junior from Woodstock, GA, she appeared in 21 games for the Bobcats and averaged 10.0 points per game, 3.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.4 steals this season off the bench. A key reserve for Quinnipiac, Martin ranked second on the team in free throw percentage, making .882 of her shots from the line. She also connected on .372 percent of her three point attempts and shot .426 from the field.
Siena standout freshman, Schiro was unanimously voted as the MAAC Rookie of the Year. The first year guard out of Hillsborough, NJ scored 17.1 points, pulled in 4.6 rebounds, handed out 3.5 assists and recorded 1.9 steals in 24 games. Schiro ranked second in the MAAC in scoring and free throws made, fifth in assists, and sixth in steals. Her 1.24 assists to turnover ratio was eighth best in the conference and she ranked third in three other league statistical categories which included field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and free throw attempts. Lastly, she captured a MAAC-leading six Rookie of the Week honors this season to lead all first year players.
In just the programs second season in the MAAC and in her sixth season at the helm of the Merrimack Warriors, Morrone was named as MAAC Coach of the Year. Morrone guided Merrimack to an 18-11 overall record and 15-5 MAAC record in 2025-26. The 15 league wins were the most for the Warriors since joining the ranks of Division I in 2019-20 and both the team’s overall and conference records were the best since the program’s inaugural season at the DI level. Under Morrone this season, Merrimack led the MAAC in blocks and defensive rebounds, ranked second in scoring and rebounds per game, and was third in scoring margin, three pointers per game and offensive rebounds.
| 2026 Women’s Basketball Major Awards |
| Awards |
Player |
School |
| Player of the Year |
Kaety L’Amoreaux |
Fairfield |
| Defensive Player of the Year |
Paloma Garcia |
Merrimack |
| Sixth Player of the Year |
Karson Martin* |
Quinnipiac |
| Rookie of the Year |
Francesca Schiro* |
Siena |
| Coach of the Year |
Kelly Morrone |
Merrimack |
*Denotes unanimous selection
The 2025-26 MAAC basketball season culminates with the 2026 Air Force Reserve MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships from March 5-10 at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. 2026 will be the seventh consecutive year Boardwalk Hall will host the annual championship dating back to 2020. For the second straight season, the championship field will feature the conference's top 10 teams. Additionally, with the shift of the basketball championship schedule to a week earlier, the women’s championship game will be a standalone contest on Monday, March 9, while the men’s championship game will air live nationally on ESPN2 on Tuesday, March 10.
For all information regarding the 2026 Air Force Reserve MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, please visit
MAACSports.com/basketball and by following @MAACHoops and #MAACHoops on X.
Air Force Reserve
The mission of the Air Force Reserve is to provide combat-ready forces to fly, fight, and win in air, space, and cyberspace, whenever and wherever needed. As a critical component of the United States Air Force, the Air Force Reserve supports global operations while remaining ready to respond to domestic emergencies and humanitarian efforts. It is responsible for organizing, training, and equipping Reserve Citizen Airmen to execute a wide range of missions that contribute to national defense and global security.
The Air Force Reserve offers part-time and full-time service options, enabling individuals to serve while maintaining civilian careers or pursuing higher education. Each year, the Reserve recruits thousands of enlisted and officer personnel across core specialties including Aviation, Maintenance, Intelligence, Cyber, Medical, Security Forces, and Logistics. This flexibility allows members to develop valuable skills, gain leadership experience, and serve their country with pride.
More information about Air Force Reserve careers and opportunities is available at:
https://www.airforce.com/ways-to-serve/air-force-reserve.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena University.
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