After taking her team to the NCAAs, Women’s Basketball Head Coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis is named Kay Yow National Coach of the Year.
In just two short years, Coach Carly and her staff have done an exceptional job of elevating our program to one of national prominence. She is an elite coach, an inspirational leader, and a passionate mentor of young women.
— Paul Schlickmann, Vice President for Athletics
The Fairfield women’s basketball team had 31 victories this year. They were MAAC Tournament and regular season champions, made an NCAA postseason appearance, and enjoyed their first national ranking in program history.
This 2023-24 season wasn’t a dream or a miracle or an underdog run. For the Stags and for Head Coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis, it was just the beginning.
“We’ve shown that we belong,” said Thibault-DuDonis. “Our goal is to be in the Top 25 and to be able to compete with the best in the country every year. We know we have work to do, but we’ve demonstrated that it can be done and that Fairfield is the place to do it.”
Already a storied MAAC program, this year marks the Stags’ entry into the national conversation. Among Fairfield’s programrecord 31 wins was a perfect 20-0 mark in the MAAC regular season and a 29-game winning streak that spanned from mid-November all the way into the NCAA Tournament.
Along the way, the Stags, picked up their fifth MAAC Championship in program history and their first-ever national ranking at #25 in the Associated Press Poll, while also receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll. The Stags finished the season ranked fourth in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll.
Statistically, Fairfield was among the nation’s best on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. The squad finished in the top ten in scoring defense, allowing just over 55 points per game. Offensively, they tallied the second-highest point total in program history, at 2,391. The Stags also finished in the top 25 in the country in assists per game and field goal percentage. Fairfield’s high-powered offense was highlighted by a program-record 292 made three-pointers, the second-most in MAAC history.
Among the top contributors to those numbers were three All-MAAC performers: Player of the Year Janelle Brown ’24, Rookie of the Year Meghan Andersen ’27, and Emina Selimovic ’25 — all three of whom are on the list of nine Stags returning to the roster next season.
“Fairfield has meant everything to me,” said Brown, who was also selected as the MAAC Championship MVP. “To be here for four years and to see this environment grow into nothing but love and support and encouragement — it’s beautiful to be a part of.”
Team captains Lauren Beach ’25, Janelle Brown ’24 and Izabela Nicoletti Leite ’24 collect the MAAC Championship trophy from Commissioner Travis Tellitocci.
“Coach Carly,” as she is affectionately called, garnered her own collection of hardware throughout the historic run. Thibault- DuDonis was unanimously chosen MAAC Coach of the Year by her peers. She is quick to interject at any opportunity that it “should be Coaching Staff of the Year,” referring to her assistant coaches and support team.
Outside of the conference, Thibault-DuDonis was recognized regionally as the ECAC and All-Metropolitan Coach of the Year, and burst onto the national scene as the Kay Yow National Coach of the Year, an award presented not only for coaching excellence, but for character and a winning spirit on and off the court. She was also a finalist for the Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year award.
As the Stags continued to pile up the wins, Leo D. Mahoney Arena became a destination for students, basketball fans, and the community. Fairfield women’s basketball averaged more than 1,000 fans per home game; they filled the bleachers as the squad went on to post a perfect 13-0 home record.
The annual “Kids’ Day Out” game — a Thursday morning field trip for local youths from Fairfield, Bridgeport, and beyond – attracted a season-best crowd of 1,891 fans, and the regular season finale that saw the Stags cut down the nets after capping a 20-0 MAAC regular season attracted a buzzing crowd of over 1,500.
“I think that what we’re doing now is beautiful, and it’s worth seeing because we’re actually making an impact and making a difference in the community and the people around us,” Brown said.
Following the Stags’ MAAC Championship victory — a come-from-behind, overtime thriller against Niagara — the University made the announcement that elicited both a collective cheer and exhale from North Benson Road and beyond: Coach Carly had signed an extension to remain as head coach of the Stags.
“In just two short years, Coach Carly and her staff have done an exceptional job of elevating our program to one of national prominence. She is an elite coach, an inspirational leader, and a passionate mentor of young women,” noted Vice President for Athletics Paul Schlickmann. “We share the vision and values necessary to build a model Division I Women’s Basketball program and I look forward to the journey ahead with Carly and her team.”
“This place is incredibly special, starting with the passionate, caring, and driven people that come together to strive for excellence,” said Thibault-DuDonis. “This can be and is becoming one of the elite women’s basketball schools in the country. This season was exciting and record-breaking in so many ways, and we are thrilled about what lies ahead for Fairfield women’s basketball. This is only the beginning.”
