PATRIOT LEAGUE notebook: Holy Cross, Lehigh jump out front, Meabon leads Colgate, league freshmen stepping up

Week one is in the books and Lehigh has picked up where it left off – on top of the league standings.

The defending champions opened conference play with a convincing win on the road against one of the league favorites in Army, and followed it up with a dominant home win over Bucknell.

Coach Addie Micir’s squad was projected to finish fifth in the league’s preseason vote. So how are they doing it?

Continuity. Lehigh graduated four of its top five scorers but returned five players that appeared in 30 or more games last season. The team is led by Lily Fandre (13.8 ppg and 4.2 rpg), just one of two seniors on the roster.

Juniors Whitney Lind, Gracyn Lovette and Jessie Ozzauto, and sophomore Belle Bramer have expanded their responsibilities and the team’s depth of rotation looks like a key advantage.

The Mountain Hawks also have a difference-maker in freshman Leia Edwards (14.1 ppg and 7.2 rpg). The London native is top 10 in the league in both scoring and rebounding and posted a career-best 22 points in the win over the Bison.

Don’t let the overall 6-7 record fool you. Lehigh is a contender. The group’s three-point attack, slow to evolve in its non-conference slate (30.1% on the season), has produced at a 40% clip from deep (40-for-100) in the last four games—including a season-high 14 threes in its win over Bucknell.

This group is only going to get better.

Next week’s road game against Holy Cross is one to watch.

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The Raiders are seeing a breakout season from junior guard Ella Meabon.

Over her first two seasons, the 5’8 Fairport, NY, native appeared in 59 games, making one start and averaging 12.5 minutes per contest.

In 2025-26, Meabon has started every game under first-year head coach Shannon Bush, and seized the opportunity to lead the Raiders’ attack.

She’s sixth in the league for scoring, adding 14.9 points per game. Meabon posted a team-best 27 points in a 63-57 win over Lafayette in the Raiders’ league opener.

In non-conference action, Meabon showed her explosive scoring ability with a career-best 35 points on 13-for-17 from the field in an 89-79 win over the University of New Hampshire.

She’s shooting 39.9% from the floor and adding 4.8 rebounds an outing.

Holy Cross remains a championship threat. Picked fourth in the preseason poll, the Crusaders kick-started their league season with two impressive road wins over Bucknell and a showdown in Annapolis with league-favorite Navy.

The rotation is tight but it’s a veteran group. What coach Candice Green’s squad lacks in depth it makes up for in experience. The starting lineup features four seniors who’ve claimed two league championships and advanced in the 2024 NCAA tournament for a road game against Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Big game? Been there, done that. Holy Cross is an unflappable bunch.

Led by its point guard Kaitlyn Flanagan, Holy Cross is off to a 2-0 league start, 8-5 overall, with two home games on deck next week.

Flanagan sets the tone and tempo on both ends of the floor and is as valuable to her team as any player in the league. She’s made 111 career starts, leads the team with 55 assists and is adding 9.3 points per game.

The emergence of senior forward Meg Cahalan (15.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg) has helped an inconsistent offense find a rhythm heading into conference play.

Cahalan is the team’s leading scorer and an improved passer, on pace for a career-high in assists.

Holy Cross has championship experience and two early road wins in league play. Next up for the Crusaders is a battle with defending champion Lehigh, the only other team in the league with a 2-0 start.

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Freshman guard Zoe Mesuch is making an impact for Navy. The preseason favorite Mids feature a veteran core including Player of the Year candidate Zanai Barnett-Gay and last year’s Rookie of the Year, Julianna Almeida. Mesuch has added even more offensive firepower.

Mesuch has started every game this season and is posting 11.1 points per outing, including a 15-point effort in a 69-54 upset win over Florida. 

The Clintondale, NY, native is a perfect fit in coach Tim Taylor’s uptempo attacking offense. Mesuch is second on the team in shots attempted (154) and leads the squad in three-point shots attempted, shooting 30-for-94 for a 31.9% clip.

In West Point, 6’1 forward Reganne Reardon has earned a spot in the Army rotation, appearing in all 12 contests, playing 18.4 minutes per game and shooting 45.5% from the floor. 

Reardon is averaging 6.8 points and 3.5 rebounds while helping Army and first-year mentor Katie Kuester to a 10-3 start, 1-1 in league play.

In Bethlehem, Lehigh employs a trio of first-years who are giving hope to the possibility of a title repeat.

Guards Leia Edwards and Alana Reedy join 6’3 forward Ellie Mjaanes in the rotation for head coach Micir. Edwards broke into the starting line-up in Lehigh’s third game of the season and has started eight games, scoring 14.1 points and grabbing 7.2 rebounds per contest for the 6-7 Mountain Hawks. She’s been honored as Rookie of the Week three times on the season.

Lafayette also features a triple-threat of freshmen in its rotation. Six-foot guard Haylie Adamski has made 11 starts for the Leopards, playing 26.0 minutes and posting 11.2 points per outing.

Adamski netted a career-high 24 points in its win over Loyola to help Lafayette to a split on opening weekend.

Teammates Maddison Krug (three starts, 6.0 rpg) and Haley Poser (3.1 ppg) are part of an eight-player rotation with each averaging at least 16 minutes per game for coach Kia Damon-Olson.

American forward Charlotte Tuhy is making her case for Rookie of the Year honors by making all 13 starts for first-year coach Kelly Killion. The Madison, NJ, product is playing 31.7 minutes per game and nearly averaging a double-double (9.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg). She’s helped the Eagles eclipse last season’s win total and a split in the first week of league play.