BRIDGEWATER, N.J. -- NEC powers FDU and Duquesne are striking early, sharing the top billing in the 2025-26 NEC Women's Bowling Preseason Coaches Poll.

Both squads tallied three first place votes in the annual preseason poll, with Niagara placing third and earning the remaining first-place nod. All three teams also appeared in the recently released NTCA Preseason Top-25 Poll.
 Mercyhurst finished fourth, while Monmouth, Wagner and LIU rounded out the conference poll in that order.

Eyeing a third NEC title in six years - and a record seventh overall - the Knights enter the season as reigning regular-season and tournament champions. 2024-25 NEC Coach of the Year K.J. Martinez returns for his third season at the helm of the Knights, holding an impressive 129-69 record in his first two years in Hackensack. Martinez led FDU to a 71-32 overall record last season, including a 17-7 mark across two NEC meets, and will look to guide the Knights to a third consecutive NEC Tournament appearance. FDU advanced to the second round of the 2025 NCAA Bowling Championship after posting a 4-1 win over Felician in the first round. The two-time national champions and five-time NCAA semifinalists have qualified for NCAA competition five times since 2015. The Knights return Jadeyn Mabry (Queen Creek, AZ/Queen Creek), who not only earned All-NEC second team honors but was also recognized nationally on the NTCA All-Rookie second team. FDU enters the season ranked 17th in the NTCA Preseason Poll.

Duquesne will be looking to avenge a tightly contested loss to FDU in last year's NEC title match. The Dukes return All-NEC first team selection Emma Siekierski (Davison, MI/Davison) to aid their title hopes. Tenth-year head Coach Jody Fetterhoff will look to add an NEC Tournament crown to an impressive resume that includes multiple at-large berths to the NCAA Tournament, having built the Dukes bowling program from the ground up. Duquesne went 58-47 a season ago, and enter this season ranked 12th in the NTCA Preseason Poll, the highest of any NEC team. The Dukes have been ranked 14th or better in the year-end NTCA Poll in each of the past six seasons.

Niagara is a program on the come-up in the NEC, having finished with a 71-52 record a season ago. In their first two years sponsoring bowling, the Purple Eagles have compiled a 127-98 overall record. Under third-year head coach Jeff Walsh, Niagara returns All-NEC Rookie Team selection Jocelyn Smith (Glens Falls, NY/Glens Falls) to help fuel their push for a first NEC Tournament appearance. The Purple Eagles checked in at 25th in the NTCA Preseason Poll.

The top four finishers in the regular season qualify for the NEC Championships, set for March 20-22 at Hamilton Lanes in Hamilton, NJ.
 
About The NEC
Now in its 45th season, the NEC is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of ten institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Chicago (#3), Boston (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#88). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, New Haven, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league's official website (www.necsports.com) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.