BEHREND WOMEN CLAIM #1 SEED, SET TO HOST CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
With a 15-1 record in conference play, the Penn State Behrend women's basketball team has once again claimed the AMCC regular season title and hosting rights for the final four slated for this weekend. First round games tip off Tuesday evening, followed by the semifinals and championship game on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Tuesday's first round games will feature #6 Hilbert College at #3 Penn State Altoona, while #4 Alfred State College hosts #5 Mount Aloysius College. Both the Behrend Lions and #2 La Roche University will receive first round byes.
Penn State Behrend enters the tournament looking for revenge, as the top-seeded Lions were upset in the championship game by the La Roche Redhawks last season. The Behrend Lions boast a balanced offensive attack, with senior guard Morgan Altavilla leading the way with 17.7 points per game in conference play to go along with 4.5 rebounds per game and 36 assists. Behrend also gets double-digit output from Alaina Fabin (14.8), Julia Balaski (12.6), and Emma Marstellar (11.0). Fabin also contributes 7.4 rebounds per game while Balaski added 56 steals and 55 assists on the season.
Defending AMCC champion La Roche will once again look to upset the Behrend Lions on their home court, as the Redhawks enter the tournament with a 14-2 record and the #2 seed. La Roche is led by senior guard Jazmine Dunn who leads the conference with 20.2 points per game in AMCC play, while also dishing out an AMCC-high 98 assists (6.1 apg) on the season. Dunn also tops the conference with a 90.0 free throw percentage and ranks fourth in the league with 47 steals. Sophomore guard Catherine Kelly averages 16.1 and 5.8 rebounds with J'La Kizart and Nautica Burwell rounding out the double digit scorers with 12.3 and 12.0 points per game, respectively. Redhawk forward Kaitlyn Nease leads the AMCC with 45 blocks in conference play while adding 9.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Penn State Altoona, the #3 seed, enters the tournament with a 13-3 record in league play. The Lions are led offensively by freshman guard Lanie Wilt (17.3 ppg) and senior forward Avana Sayles (15.8 ppg). Wilt also adds 5.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.6 steals per game against AMCC teams, while Sayles averages a double-double with 11.6 rebounds per game to go along with 2.5 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. Senior G/F Jaidyn McCracken averages 11.1 points per game to go along with 4.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.3 steals per game.
Coming in with a 10-6 record is fourth seed Alfred State. Senior guard Taylor Benjamin leads the Pioneer offense with 14.7 points to go along with 7.2 rebounds, 2.7 steals, 1.6 blocks, and 1.6 assists per game. Freshman guard Emeline Barton is second on the team with 10.8 points per game to go along with 7.5 rebounds.
Mount Aloysius enters the tournament with an 8-8 mark in AMCC play. The Mounties are led by junior forward Molly Kosmack, who averages 15.5 points and a conference-leading 14.4 rebounds per game. She also ranks second in the conference with 36 blocks in league play. Junior guard Annalyn Isaacs averages 10.4 points and 1.9 assists per game.
Rounding out the field is #6 Hilbert with a 4-12 record in conference games. Junior guard Kayla Johnson leads the Hawks with 8.8 points per game, while Bianca Iten adds 7.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
AMCC Tournament Schedule
2026 AMCC Women's Basketball Champions apparel will be available in the AMCC Store for a limited time immeditately following the conclusion of the championship! Championship apparel will be available for approximately three weeks following each championship tournament.