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The Game
Stonehill College opens a new era to its rich women's basketball history as it visits Lehigh University to open its inaugural NCAA Division I season at Stabler Arena tonight.

Media Information
Tonight's game is being broadcast live on ESPN+ with Marco Socci calling the action.

Against the Mountain Hawks
Tonight marks the first ever meeting between Stonehill and Lehigh.

Hey, I Know You
While tonight marks the first-ever meeting between Stonehill and Lehigh, Skyhawks postgraduate transfer Maddie Loder (Independence, Minn.) played the Mountain Hawks twice as a member at George Washington University. While she did not appear in last season's 70-57 setback to Lehigh in Washington, D.C., she came off the bench and hit a three-pointer, adding two rebounds and an assist in 15 minutes as the Colonials dropped a 59-53 decision here in Bethlehem, Pa., on November 13, 2019.

For Openers
Stonehill enters tonight's season-opener having won eight of its last ten on opening night. The Skyhawks dropped a 75-72 decision at Saint Michael's College in its 2021-22 season-opening game.

Not Too Early
Tonight doesn't mark the earliest season-opener for Stonehill all-time. The Skyhawks twice played games earlier than November 7, in fact Stonehill played three games prior to tonight's date during the 2006 Disney Tip-Off Classic in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, sweeping three games against Division II stalwarts Augustana (S.D.), Felician and West Texas A&M  on its way to a 6-0 start to the 2006-07 season, which would result in an NCAA Tournament bid.

In Transition
Stonehill announced it had accepted an invitation to join the Northeast Conference and commence a four-year transition to full NCAA Division I membership on April 5. The Skyhawks started their four-year transition on July 1 and will earn full NCAA Division I membership in 2026-27. At the June NEC meetings, the Conference presidents announced a shift in the waiting period for automatic qualifier sports from competing for NEC postseason championships from four to two years, making Stonehill eligible to compete in the NEC postseason starting in 2024-25.

Proud History
Stonehill won the Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup six times, finishing in the top three in the final standings 15 of the last 17 years. Stonehill was one of just ten institutions nationwide to receive the NCAA Division II Presidents' Award for Academic Achievement, recognizing athletic departments with an Academic Success rating of 90-percent or better, each of the first ten years of the program's existence. The College ranks No. 98 in the category of National Liberal Arts Schools by U.S. News & World Report and No. 94 for the Best Value category.

Hoop History
Stonehill women's basketball earned 26 NCAA Division II Tournament bids over its history, the last was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Stonehill was a charter member of the Northeast-10 Conference, and are the lone program to have competed in all 40 NE10 Tournaments prior to transitioning to Division I this summer, with its final appearance culminating with a 13th finals appearance in March. Stonehill has won the NE10 Tournament six times, with an additional ten regular season championships. Stonehill reached the NCAA Division II Elite Eight three times, the latest in 2018, and advanced to the Division II National Semifinals in 1995.

Preseason Prognostications
Stonehill was picked to finish ninth in its first Northeast Conference season by the league's head coaches. Wagner received six first place votes to top the preseason rankings, followed by Fairleigh Dickenson with two first place votes. St. Francis Brooklyn is picked third, while Saint Francis (Pa.) is fourth with the remaining first place vote.  

Tough Slate
Stonehill has assembled a hardy non-conference slate in its inaugural Division I season, featuring opponents from the Patriot League (2 - Lehigh, Holy Cross), Big East  (1 - Providence), America East (3 - Vermont, New Hampshire, Bryant), MAC (1 - Buffalo), MAAC (1 - Fairfield) and CAA (1 - Northeastern) to prepare for its inaugural Northeast Conference schedule that will start just after the New Year.  

Inside the Roster
Stonehill head coach Trisha Brown returns six letterwinners, including three starters from his 2021-22 team that finished 16-9, including 12-7 in the NE10, reaching the Conference Championship game.
Stonehill's inaugural Division I roster includes:
• Two fifth-year players in captains Emily Bramanti (Chelmsford, Mass.) and Sophie Glidden (Scarborough, Maine)
• One postgraduate Division I transfer in Maddie Loder (Independence, Minn.) from George Washington
• One senior, two juniors, two sophomores and three freshmen.

The Hall Calls
In addition to the first two games of the Stonehill women's basketball team's NCAA Division I era this week, alum Alisha Collins '07 will be honored on Saturday with induction to the Stonehill Athletic Hall of Fame, which will be emceed by another women's basketball alum and Hall of Famer Kristen McDonnell '03. Collins, the  2006 NE10 & ECAC Division II Player of the Year was a two-time All-NE10 first team selection and WBCA Honorable Mention All-American. She still ranks 13th all-time at Stonehill in scoring with 1,410 career points. She will be joined in this all woman Hall of Fame class in honor of the 50th anniversary of Title IX by Lauren Boyd '08 (women's soccer), Heather Kenrick '97 (field hockey), Jackie Ladino '10 (field hockey/women's lacrosse), Kelly McDonald, '98 (equestrian) and Heather O'Keefe '92 (softball). The 2022 Hall of Fame ceremony returns after a three-year hiatus on Saturday at 6 p.m.

Be the IMPACT
Stonehill fifth-year forward Sophie Glidden (Scarborough, Maine) was named a finalist for the national "Teammate of the Year" award by Team IMPACT, a national non-profit organization that signs children facing serious illness and disabilities onto college athletic teams across the country through a unique multiyear program. Glidden was nominated by six-year-old Ariel, a child from nearby Holbrook who has a genetic disorder called Rett Syndrome. Glidden was one of five finalists from across the country for the Teammate of the Year award.

All-Conference Nod
Stonehill returns fifth-year Emily Bramanti (Chelmsford, Mass.) who earned All-Northeast-10 Conference second team honors last season. Bramanti was one of two All-NE10 selections last year, along with two-time first team pick Kayla Raymond '22, to give Stonehill 52 All-NE10 honors all-time.

There's No Place Like Home
Stonehill will play five of its 13 non-conference games at Merkert Gymnasium, including a run of three-straight in late December to head directly into its inaugural NEC schedule, of which two of its first three will also be at home. The Skyhawks will host Buffalo in their first ever Division I home game next Monday (6 p.m.), before hosting Hartford (Nov. 21), UAlbany (12/14), Northeastern (12/20) and Queens (N.Y.) (12/29).

Getting Social
Fans and media members of Stonehill athletics have multiple social media outlets to get updates on all 21 varsity programs. The department's Facebook page is www.facebook.com/stonehillskyhawks, and you can also follow @GoStonehill on Twitter and @stonehillskyhawks via Instagram!  Stonehill women's basketball is also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StonehillCollegeWomensBasketball, Twitter and Instagram by following @stonehillwbb. You can even follow head coach Trishs Brown on Twitter via @CoachTB_SC.

Up Next
Stonehill remains on the road this week, when it visits Providence College to meet the Friars at Alumni Hall for the first time in 38 years on Friday at 7 p.m. The Skyhawks Division I home opener is next Monday, November 14, when it hosts University of Buffalo at Merkert Gymnasium at 6 p.m.