DANBURY, CONN. – FDU women's basketball head coach Stephanie Gaitley was named the 2026 ECAC Coach of the Year on Wednesday morning. Ava Renninger was also named to the 2026 All-ECAC Second Team on Wednesday morning.

Gaitley picks up her award after leading the Knights to a 30-5 record in 2025-26. The Knights' 30 wins set a program record, and tied an NEC record. FDU repeated as NEC champions, completing back-to-back perfect conference seasons for the first time in NEC history. Gaitley's Knights joined UConn and UCLA as the only team in the nation to go undefeated in conference play in 2025-26. Under Gaitley's leadership, the Knights also finished the regular season with a top three defense in the nation. The Knights earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament, drawing a #15 seed. The Knights fought against #2 Iowa until the end, losing 58-48 in the Round of 64. 

Renninger picks up her Second Team honors following a dominant sophomore campaign in Hackensack. The Yardley, Pa. native was named to the All-NEC First Team during the 2025-26 season. Renninger ended the season averaging 12.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 5.2 APG. Renninger's scoring totals led all FDU players, while she paced the NEC in assists. The sophomore served as a captain on the Knights 30-5 team that repeated as NEC champs. 
 

ABOUT THE ECAC

The ECAC is an eighty-six year old intercollegiate athletics organization with roughly 200 member schools for traditional sports across all three NCAA Divisions - I, II and III - that exists to enhance the experience of student-athletes participating in NCAA sports, and provide great value for universities, by sponsoring championships, leagues, bowl games, tournaments and other competitions throughout the country. The ECAC also hosts a comprehensive esports program, with over 300 schools, 4,000 teams and 10,000-plus participants in twenty-four different games titles.