Women’s Basketball Wins First CACC Championship Since 2015; Advances to East Region Final for First Time Since 2012
The HFU women's basketball team never trailed as it defeated Jefferson 77-68 on Sunday, March 9 to capture its first Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Championship since 2015.
"Our coaching staff and players have worked very hard all season long, and to have them rewarded with a championship is exactly what they deserve," said Head Coach Bernadette Laukaitis '00. "From being nationally-ranked to holding a 3.83 team GPA, I could not be more proud of this team and all of our accomplishments. I look forward to seeing what the future has in store for our program!"
First team All-CACC selection Taylor Hinkle '26 was named Tournament MVP after recording a third consecutive double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds and a team-high 17 points.
Skyler Searfoss '26 and Carolyn Prevost '26, All-CACC Third Team honorees, were also named to the CACC All-Tournament Team, as Searfoss finished with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting and a game-high seven assists and Prevost added eight points on 4-of-5 field goals.
With the win, the Tigers qualified for their first NCAA Tournament since 2016, earning seed three in the East Regional hosted by Bentley University.
Holy Family would defeat sixth-seeded Assumption in the first round, 67-53, before upsetting the reigning region champion, second-seeded Daemen 68-55, in the second round to advance to its first East Region Final (Sweet 16) since 2012.
The Tigers led by as many as 15 in the third quarter of the final, before eventually falling to the top-seeded host Bentley, the third-ranked team in Division II, 63-72.
Holy Family ended its season at 26-7 for its most wins since 2012-13, which was also the last time that the Tigers had three All-CACC selections.
HFU's season began with six straight victories, and the Tigers would go on to defeat three top 13 teams – No. 12 Assumption, No. 13 Jefferson and No. 5 Seton Hill - in the span of less than a month from Nov. 23 to Dec. 22.
Holy Family entered Division II College Sports Communicators Women's Basketball National Media Poll at No. 20 on Dec. 10 and would feature in each of the last 10 regular season rankings, reaching as high as 18 on Jan. 21.