Kaety L’Amoreaux ’26 and Declan Wucherpfennig ’29 were selected as Preseason Players of the Year.
The Fairfield University Men’s and Women’s Basketball programs were both selected atop the Metro Conference in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll unveiled by the league this week. In addition, the Stags swept Metro Preseason Player of the Year laurels with Declan Wucherpfennig ’29 selected on the men’s side and Kaety L’Amoreaux ’26 projected to repeat as Player of the Year in women’s basketball.
Men’s Basketball
Entering their fourth year led by Head Coach Chris Casey, Fairfield Men’s Basketball won 21 games last season and reached the MAAC Championship Semifinals. The Stags return 10 student-athletes for the upcoming campaign, including three starters and six total players that appeared in 20 or more games. Fairfield ranks at the top the Preseason Poll for the first time since 2010-11.
Sophomore Declan Wucherpfennig grabbed Preseason Player of the Year and unanimous Preseason All-Metro First Team honors following a standout rookie campaign. During his first year, he scored 12.1 points per game and ranked second in the league—first among returning players—with 8.5 rebounds per contest. Wucherpfennig finished with the second-most rebounds and fifth-most points by a true freshman in Fairfield Men’s Basketball history. He is the Stags’ first Preseason Player of the Year since Hall of Famer and all-time leading scorer Tyler Nelson ’18 earned the distinction prior to his senior season.
Wucherpfennig was joined as Preseason All-Metro by his teammate and classmate Tony Williams ’29, who was voted to the Second Team by the conference’s 13 head coaches.
Women’s Basketball
The three-time defending conference champions under Head Coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis, Fairfield Women’s Basketball takes the top spot in unanimous fashion, coming off of a 28-5 season and a third straight trip to the NCAA postseason. The Stags have won 87 games in the past three seasons with a .879 winning percentage that ranks fifth in the nation during that span.
The reigning MAAC Player of the Year, Kaety L’Amoreaux was the unanimous choice for Metro Conference Preseason Player of the Year. She led the conference in scoring with 17.3 points per game one year ago and dished out 4.3 assists per contest running the point for the Stags. L’Amoreaux was named to the All-Met and All-ECAC First Team and was a semifinalist for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award. A graduate student after completing her undergraduate degree in management in three years, L'Amoreaux was also lauded nationally as the DI-AAA ADA Scholar Athlete of the Year.
L’Amoreaux leads the roster of Stags named Preseason All-Metro. She is joined on the First Team by Meghan Andersen ’27, with Jillian Huerter ’26 and Cyanne Coe ’28 selected to the Second Team. Bowling Green transfer Paige Kohler ’27 and Purdue transfer Lana McCarthy ’28 were both tabbed for the Third Team.
Season tickets for Fairfield Men’s and Women’s Basketball are on sale now at FairfieldStags.com/TIX.
