Women's Basketball | 2/19/2026 9:00:00 AM
Nazareth University, SUNY Brockport, Houghton University, SUNY Geneseo, Russell Sage College, St. John Fisher University, Elmira College and Alfred University will battle for the 2025-26 Empire 8 Women’s Basketball Championship, which starts on Saturday, Feb. 21 and wraps up Saturday, Feb. 28, with all games played at the higher seed.
All eight teams will be in action for opening round play on Saturday, Feb. 21, as No. 1 Nazareth will host No. 8 Alfred, No. 2 Brockport hosts No. 7 Elmira, No. 6 St. John Fisher travels to take on No. 3 Houghton and No. 5 Russell Sage heads west to face defending E8 Champion, No. 4 Geneseo. The winner of Nazareth vs. Alfred will take on the winner of Geneseo vs. Russell Sage on Wednesday, Feb. 25, while the winner of Brockport vs. Elmira will face the winner of Houghton vs. St. John Fisher, also on Wednesday. The two semifinal winners will meet for the 2026 Empire 8 Championship on Saturday, February 28 at the site of the highest remaining seed.
The league champion receives an automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship, which begins March 6-7.
2025-26 Empire 8 Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament Participants
No. 1 – Nazareth (15-1 E8, 21-4 Overall)
No. 2 – SUNY Brockport (14-2 E8, 18-7 Overall)
No. 3 – Houghton (11-5 E8, 20-5 Overall)
No. 4 – SUNY Geneseo (11-5, E8, 17-8 Overall)
No. 5 – Russell Sage (10-6 E8, 15-10 Overall)
No. 6 – St. John Fisher (8-8 E8, 12-13 Overall)
No. 7 – Elmira (7-9 E8, 12-13 Overall
No. 8 – Alfred (5-11 E8, 11-14 Overall)
The 2025-26 Empire 8 Women’s Basketball Championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on X and Instagram (@Empire8).
2025-26 Empire 8 Women's Basketball Championship Schedule
Saturday, February 21 – First Round (All games at Higher Seed)
No. 8 Alfred at No. 1 Nazareth – 2 p.m.
No. 7 Elmira at No. 2 SUNY Brockport – 2 p.m.
No. 6 St. John Fisher at No. 3 Houghton – 2 p.m.
No. 5 Russell Sage at No. 4 SUNY Geneseo – 2 p.m.
Wednesday, February 25 – Semifinals (All games at Higher Seed)
Winner of Nazareth/Alfred vs. Winner of SUNY Geneseo/Russell Sage – TBA
Winner of Brockport/Elmira vs. Houghton/St. John Fisher – TBA
Saturday, February 28 - Championship Final (at Highest Remaining Seed)
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 - TBA
E8 Regular Season Champion Nazareth finished 15-1 and is 21-4 overall entering the tournament. Nazareth, the 2021 Empire 8 Champion, is third in the league in scoring offense, scoring defense and scoring margin, averaging 71.8 points per game. Five Golden Flyers average at least 8.8 points per game, including senior Molly Benetti, who leads the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game on 47 percent shooting from the floor (third in the E8) in addition to 6.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.2 blocks per game, second best in the E8. Classmate Katie MacLachlan is averaging 13.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Kiara Anglin is averaging 9.8 points, 7.5 boards and 3.0 steals (third best in the E8), while Madalyn Kelly is averaging 9.7 points per game and Sarina McDowell is averaging 8.8 points and 5.5 caroms per contest.
No. 2 seed SUNY Brockport enters the tournament with a 18-7 record and 14-2 record in league play. They are the second-highest scoring team in the league, averaging 75.3 points per contest. Senior guard Stephanie Jean-Baptiste leads the Golden Eagles and E8 in scoring, averaging 19.2 points per game and is shooting 45 percent from the floor, seventh best in the E8, while averaging 2.3 steals per game. Mandy Brink is averaging 13.3 points, 4.9 boards and 3.0 assists per game, while Brianna Carey is averaging 11.6 points per game. Peyton Maneri leads Brockport with 4.2 assists per game, while Claire Turner is averaging 8.5 boards and 1.4 blocks per contest. Brockport earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament last season.
Houghton, the 2024 E8 Championship finalist, earned the No. 3 seed this season. The Highlanders enter the tournament with an 20-5 overall record to earn their fourth consecutive E8 Tournament berth. Tabitha DeVries is averaging 13.4 points, 6.6 boards and 2.1 assists per contest, while shooting over 50 percent from the floor. Crysta Lacrosse, the 2022-23 E8 Co-Rookie of the Year is averaging 12.2 points, 5.0 boards and 4.2 assists per contest, second most in the league. Olivia Simser and Teghan Trockl are both shooting nearly 37 percent from 3-point range, which leads the E8. The Highlanders are the highest scoring team in the E8, averaging 78.2 points per game.
Defending E8 Champion SUNY Geneseo is the No. 4 seed in the upcoming E8 Tournament after finishing 11-5 in league play. The Knights, who are 17-8 overall, lead in the league in scoring defense, allowing just 52.2 points per game, while allowing opponents to shoot just 32 percent from the floor. Grace Galgano leads the Knights in scoring and rebounding, averaging 12.4 points and 6.5 boards per game. Kristin Suydam is averaging 10.3 points, 6.3 boards and 1.2 blocks per game, while Maggie McGrane leads the league in assists by a wide margin, averaging 5.7 per contest. Audrey Hintz and Eva Elliot have played key minutes all season. The Knights advanced to the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 last season.
Russell Sage, the No. 5 seed, is in the Empire 8 Tournament for the sixth time in program history. The Gators finished 10-6 in league play and enter the tournament with a 15-10 overall record. Layla Acosta leads the Gators in scoring and is fourth in the E8, averaging 16.1 points per game. Kallie Hopkins leads Russell Sage in rebounding, averaging 8.7 per game and is second on the team in scoring, with 10.4 points per game. Kyla Smith, Aniyah Kelly and Jaileen Soto have also been key contributors on the offensive end this season.
St. John Fisher enters the tournament as the No. 6 seed with 12 wins, having finished 8-8 in E8 play. Presleigh Brunner leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.7 points to go along with 5.7 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. She is also shooting 81.7 percent from the foul line. Hannah Ferguson is right behind with 11.8 points and a team-best 6.1 rebounds per game. She also leads the team in blocks. Julia Perales leads St. John Fisher with 3.2 assists per game, seventh-best in the conference. The Cardinals are looking to win their eighth E8 title in program history.
Elmira is in the Empire 8 Tournament for the fourth straight season, having advanced to the league semifinals in 2022-23 and opening round in each of the last two seasons. The No. 7 seed Soaring enter with an 12-13 mark in 2025-26. Emma Ryan leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.4 points per game to go along with 5.2 caroms per contest. Amarionah Dixon is averaging nearly a double-double per game, with 12.8 points and 9.6 rebounds (fourth in the league) per contest. She also leads the team with 2.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game. The Soaring Eagles are looking for their first E8 title. They were conference finalists in both 2005-06 and 2006-07.
Alfred enters the Empire 8 Tournament with 11 wins and is making its fourth league tourney appearance (2021, 2023 and 2025). Jaidyn Chest leads the Saxons and is among the E8 leaders in scoring, averaging 16.7 points per game this season to go along with 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Jayda Felker is averaging 9.3 points, 4.7 boards and a team best 2.6 assists per game. Natalee Collins leads the Empire 8 in rebounding with 11.8 caroms per game to go along with nearly eight points per game in addition to nearly a block per contest.
Nazareth defeated Alfred earlier in the season, 67-39 on Dec. 6. Brockport earned a 75-55 home win over Elmira on Jan. 6, while St. John Fisher rallied to defeat Houghton in the final seconds, 63-62 on Jan. 13. Russell Sage rallied to defeat SUNY Geneseo, 65-64 on Jan. 31.
Admission
$10.00 - Adults
$2.00 - Students and seniors with ID
Free - Children under 12