NEWARK, N.J. - With a young 2023-24 roster and no returning starters, FDU women's basketball looks ahead to the challenge of the upcoming campaign as the Knights were picked fourth in the 2023-24 Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, announced Tuesday morning during NEC Basketball Social Media Day at Prudential Center.

Entering the first campaign under head coach Stephanie Gaitley, FDU looks to continue their reign of the NEC as the back-to-back regular season conference champions look to make a splash. In their first test, FDU will face last season's national runner-up Iowa on November 6.

"Anytime you are picked in the middle of the pack you are considered someone that can be a threat but is 'average,'" said Gaitley. "We return five points and five rebounds. This a new team and I am extremely proud and excited by what I have seen the past few months. They are not an 'average' group of young ladies. We have a challenging out-of-conference schedule, but it will prepare us for a tough NEC slate."

FDU returns five from last season's squad with Mia Andrews, Abaigeal Babore, Abby Conklin, Dominique García Blackwood and Allie McGinn back on the Hackensack this season. Babore and Conklin will join Gaitley as FDU's representatives at Media Day.

The Knights went 24-8 last season, including 14 NEC victories en route to the program's second WNIT bid in as many seasons. After an offseason coaching change, Gaitley's staff went right to work to bring in nine new faces to the program, including three transfers with a combined six years of collegiate experience. Among the transfers is Teneisia Brown who spent one year on Merrimack's roster and was named to the Preseason All-NEC squad last season.

Rejoining the FDU family is Jessica Simmonds, who after a year at VCU, returned to the banks of the Hackensack as the Associate Head Coach. Madison Stanley, the 2022 NEC Player of the Year, is also back home as an assistant after spending the prior campaign at Charleston.

Picked to repeat as NEC champions, Sacred Heart was unanimously voted first, followed by Merrimack, Wagner, FDU, Stonehill, LIU, Saint Francis U, new member Le Moyne and Central Connecticut.

Connect with FDU women's basketball on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, @FDUKnightsWBB.