The Saint Anselm Women’s Basketball Team was able to secure the No. 4 seed in the NCAA Division II Championship, which had been announced on Sunday, March 9. This is the 10th time for the program to be selected in the NCAA tournament selection, with the last selection in the 2020 season which was cancelled due to Covid-19.
Saint Anselm went into the tournament with a 17-9 overall record, the most wins in a season since the 2019-2020 season with 21 wins. The last time the Hawks competed on the court for the NCAA Division II tournament was in 2019. The Hawks also finished the regular season with a 14-6 record putting them in the No. 2 seed in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship.
Saint Anselm fell short in the NE-10 Conference Championship Quarterfinals on Sunday, March 2 against the Panthers of Adelphi University.
In the opening round of the tournament the Hawks faced the Owls of Southern Connecticut State on Friday, March 14. The Hawks won both regular season games and held a 15-9-0 record against the Owls. Melanie Hoyt ’25 recorded a double-double obtaining 19 points and 10 rebounds while the Hawks were also able to hold the Owls from scoring in the last six minutes of the game. The matchup between the teams ended with a 59-41 win for the Hawks pushing them to the second round of the NCAA Championship, the first time the Hawks won in a postseason matchup since the 2018-2019 season.
They would next face the No. 1 seed Bentley University on Saturday, March 15. Hoyt again grabbed her second straight double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Hoyt then went to represent Saint Anselm on the All-East Regional Team. Unfortunately in the second round of the tournament, the Hawks lost 55-60 against the Falcons marking the end of the season. The women of Saint Anselm Basketball finished their season with an 18-10 overall record.
During the 2024-2025, Melanie Hoyt ’25 saw many honors. Hoyt was recently named the Division II Conference Commissioners Association East Region Player of the Year. The star player also received the NE-10 Player of the Year, the third Hawk to receive the honor since the 2019-2020 season. She led the conference in scoring with an average of 18.1 points per game and a field goal percentage of 55.9%. Hoyt was also seventh in the league with eight rebounds per game and a team-best of 24 blocks in 27 games played. She also had 44 assists and 28 steals throughout the season.
Sophomore Elise MacNair and freshman Addisen Sulikowski were both named on the NE-10 All-Rookie Team. MacNair this season averaged 8.9 points per game while leading the team in three-point shooting percentage of 31.4%. The sophomore also ranked second in field goal percentage of 43.4%. Sulikowski led the team in three-pointers of 46 and third in scoring, 9.2 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game and 10 total blocks. She also had 38 steals and was sixth in the NE-10 having 1.7 triples per game. This was the first time in Saint Anselm Women’s Basketball history two Hawks received this honor.
With an unfortunate finish to the season, the Hawks had a commendable season appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the tenth time in program history. They also had four players named in the 2025 NE-10 All-Conference Teams. Great season ladies and Go Hawks!