GRANTHAM, PA. - With the 2026-27 Messiah University women's basketball season beginning Saturday, check out the season preview below.
2025-26 Season Recap
The Falcons finished the 2025-26 season with a 24-5 overall record with a 13-1 record in MAC Commonwealth play. The Falcons earned the top-seed in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament and defeated Widener, 76-72 to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Falcons defeated Cortland in the opening round but fell to top-ranked NYU in the second round to end the season.
2026-27 Roster Outlook
The Falcons return a strong core of players from last year's MAC Commonwealth Championship team. The Falcons' frontcourt will be led by D3hoops.com Preseason All-American,
Liv Monturo. The Falcons also return starters,
April Kauffeldt and
EmmyFaith Wood.
Marisa Amitie,
Ainsley Bell,
Maddy Gassman, and
Brooke Fenchel all look to expand on their roles, after playing critical minutes off the bench last season.
Lydia Ehst,
Emma Fetterman,
Gisaiah Griffin,
Alison Jensen,
Bella McIntire, and
Kirsten Parypinski all look to expand their roles on the Falcons after some key departures the last two seasons. The Falcons also added two firs year players, that look to make an immediate impact in their first year at Messiah.
2026-27 Schedule
The Falcons open the season at No. 17 Gettysburg College on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 2:00 p.m. The Falcons home opener is set for Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 7:00 p.m. against DeSales. The Falcons host Dickinson, Gwynedd Mercy, and RIT in their annual Tip-Off Tournament on Nov. 20-21. The Falcons open conference play on the road against Hood College on December 1. For the winter break trip, the Falcons will travel to Puerto Rico and play Concordia University (Dec. 19) and Cortland (Dec. 20). The Falcons host a rematch of the 2026 MAC Commonwealth Championship game against Widener on Wednesday, Jan. 6 at 5:00 p.m. The Falcons will celebrate Senior Day against Alvernia University on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 2:00 p.m.
MAC Commonwealth Preseason Poll
1. Messiah - 64 (8)
2. Widener - 56
3. York - 43
4. Alvernia - 40
5. Stevenson - 35
6. Albright - 34
7. Neumann - 24
8. Eastern - 19
9. Hood - 9
