Over six weeks ago, NYU women’s basketball concluded a 91-game undefeated run in the Final Four of the NCAA Division III Tournament — dashing players’ hopes for a third title after a monumental season. At the same time, a weight lifted off their shoulders. 

A media storm spanning three years

The Violets’ 91 straight wins marked the longest streak in Division III history and the second-longest of any collegiate women’s basketball team, putting NYU on the map while drawing a flurry of media attention from local and national publications. That success rippled across the division. 

“I’ve had a lot of coaches in the offseason reach out and thank me for shining a light on D-III women’s basketball that we don’t always get,” head coach Meg Barber, who was inducted into the NYU Athletics Hall of Fame this past weekend, told WSN. “I’m really, really proud of it, but it also feels like after that loss, in a weird way, we could take a breath of fresh air.”

That constant noise, while boosting the program to new heights, wasn’t always positive. NYU’s players were called up for interviews, almost always focused on the streak, as often as three times a week. The Violets set a new D-III record in February, and moved on to larger goals: a fifth UAA title and another deep tournament run. The press, however, was still stuck on the number of wins in a row. Even in March — when any loss didn’t just spell the end of a streak, it shut the door on the season — the media attention didn’t waver. 

“It’s been tough, coming in as a freshman, to a program with such great legacies,” first-year guard Olivia Lagao told WSN. “I had envisioned that I wouldn’t be playing and would be on the bench, cheering on my team. I give all my credit to the coaches for trusting me in those moments, but that’s my job, to go in and really change the game and to give 110% effort.”

College-ready recruits and a new core stepping up

Lagao made her presence heard on the court, scoring an average of 8.8 points per game, even after a partial labrum tear in January. Despite pressure to fill the shoes of the title-winning graduating class — including captains Belle Pellecchia and Natalie Bruns — the rookies’ work over the summer and guidance from NYU’s coaches had them coming into the season college-ready.

In Barber’s eyes, her class overachieved. First-year guard Aila Kaibara started 29 of 30 games played, finishing the season with 3.2 assists and 9.8 points per game, shooting 42% from the field. Lagao averaged 15.3 minutes per game and first-year forward and guard Megan Ohonde earned significant time off the bench and scored a season-high 13 points. 

The returning players also stepped up to the challenge, taking on bigger roles to fill the gaps in the roster. Forward Yasmene Clark, who cemented herself in NYU’s starting lineup as the season progressed, improved from 5.7 minutes, 1.9 rebounds and 2.8 points per game as a sophomore to 21.2 minutes, 10.6 rebounds and 7.5 points in her junior campaign. 

“I wasn’t starting when we first played,” Clark told WSN. “ As games went on, Barber was like: ‘Maybe we should switch it up.’ Now, I feel like if I’m not in the game, we’re not going to win.”

The Violets are only graduating one senior this year — forward and guard Caroline Peper — but her impact on and off the court can’t be overstated. Peper finished ninth on the all-time scoring list with 1,426 points and shot 38% from beyond the arc in her career. Outside of the game, she served as a pillar for the team to lean on and was the sole senior captain on the 2025-26 roster. 

“She didn’t look at herself as, like, ‘I’m a senior, and you guys aren’t in my same category,’” Barber said. “It was, ‘You guys are my teammates, my sisters.’ The intentional relationship-building that Pep took on was a huge aspect of setting that culture for the team going forward.”

The next chapter

Barber doesn’t often bring transfer students into her program. She reinforces the program’s culture from the ground up each year, focusing on four-year growth over one-year acquisitions. There has, on occasion, been success with graduate additions — most recently forward Jamie Behar, who spent her undergraduate career at Lehigh University and earned a national title with NYU in 2025 — but the coaches’ priorities lie with the long-term development of the program. 

“The coaches take players that are for the team,” Clark said. “You can tell by every player that’s on the roster — that’s their motto that they play for: NYU is bigger than themselves.” 

Several of this year’s recruits are coming in from Rutgers Preparatory School in New Jersey, where Pellecchia and sophomore standout Zahra Alexander spent their high school careers. Already, the Violets — who are retaining almost the entire roster — are preparing for the gauntlet that next year will bring. 

Training continues in the offseason, but is geared more towards personal goals than the intensity of in-season work. Barber, too, has done work in her time off — stepping up for her second year as a head coach with USA Basketball. This year, she led a team of high school seniors to a 104-77 win in the Women’s Nike Hoop Summit. 

The biggest growth takes place over the summer, as the team prepares to restructure itself with new recruits and new opponents to face. Lagao is focused on recovery and staying healthy over the break, and Clark, who was a force on the glass all season, plans to work on her shot to expand her role going into her final year. 

Next year, the junior cohort — seven strong — will step up for their final season, and the new class of rookies will integrate into the existing sisterhood. The Violets will also have the advantage of a fresh start, free of the expectations that come with being the No. 1 team in the nation and a record-breaking streak at risk with every loss.

“Next season is about this summer,” Barber said. “That’s what’s on my mind, that our players enter the summer with the right mindset to grow themselves, to improve our team, to challenge and push each other. We’re excited, and we’re looking forward to defending our opportunity to go back to our fourth straight Final Four.”

Contact Kiran Komanduri at [email protected].