MAAC_Program_2026_V11_Pages

2025–26 SACRED HEART WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

QUICK FACTS LOCATION FAIRFIELD, CT

NICKNAME PIONEERS COLORS RED & WHITE YEAR FOUNDED 1963 PRESIDENT JOHN J. PETILLO, PH.D.

WOMEN’S ROSTER No. Name Cl.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS JUDY ANN RICCIO HOME ARENA WILLIAM H. PITT CENTER (2,000)

Pos.

Ht.

Hometown/High School/Previous College

0 Montana Nicks

Jr.

G 5-6 Englewood, NJ/Dwight Englewood

2 Sophie Nascimento 3 Taaliyah Porter 4 Nalyce Dudley 5 Grace John 9 Missy Nuku 10 Emma Kirby 14 Esther Kursite 20 Kristen Phelan

Fr. Fr.

G 5-8 Scarsdale, NY/Ursuline School

G 5-9 Rapid City, SD/Stevens

Jr.

F

5-11 Norwich, CT/New London

Sr.

G 5-5 Bayelsa, Nigeria/Agorogbene/Barton CC

Jr. Jr.

G 5-6 Tauranga, New Zealand/International School/Lakeland College

C 6-2 Chadds Ford, PA/Tatnall

So.

C 6-2 London, England/City of London Academy

Fr.

G 5-8 Tappan, NY/Tappan Zee

23 Faith Pappas

Sr. Sr.

G 5-11 Long Valley, NJ/Pope John XXIII/Fordham G 5-8 Richmond, VA/TPLS Christian Academy

24 Sierra Johnson

30 Jordanna Schrecker

Fr.

G 5-8 Staten Island, NY/New Dorp G 6-0 Wynantskill, NY/Averill Park

33 Amelia Wood

Sr.

44 Dianne Crespo López

So.

G 5-10 Río Grande, Puerto Rico/Colegio Adianez

PLAYER TO WATCH The newest member of the Pioneers 1,000 point club, Amelia Wood is the Pioneers go to player down the stretch. From driving to the hoop or pulling up from outside the arc, Wood can score from any position on the court. In addition to leading the team in scoring she is also one of the top two in rebounds, assists and steals. NOTABLE ALUMNI Amanda Pape helped the Pioneers reach new heights over her collegiate career in Fairfield, as her tenure led the SHU women’s basketball program to the lofty stature it holds today. A Stamford, CT, native, Pape led Sacred Heart to its first NEC Tournament championship in 2006 and a pair of NEC regular season titles in 2005-06 and 2006-07. Pape was named the NEC Rookie of the Year in 2003 04 and the NEC Player of the Year in 2005-06. She concluded her career as a four-time All-NEC honoree, including three First Team nods. She left SHU as the program’s all-time leading scorer, ranking third in NEC history with 2,045 points. In recognition of her greatness, just 10 years after her collegiate career began, Pape became the youngest person to be inducted into the NEC Hall of Fame in 2013.

Head Coach: Jessica Mannetti (Concordia ’01) – Thirteenth Season Assistant Head Coach: Marc Taney (Western Connecticut ’14) – Third Season Assistant Coaches: Jacinda Dunbar (Quinnipiac ’12) – Second Season, Jen Peel (Saint Anselm ’21) – Second Season Director of Operations: Nola Carter (Fort Valley State ’20) – First Season

HEAD COACH JESSICA MANNETTI Under Jessica Mannetti's leadership, the Sacred Heart University women's basketball team has remained one of the top programs in the Northeast. Entering the 2025-26 season second in career wins (183), Mannetti has led the Pioneers to five postseason appearances during her tenure; WNIT 2016, 2017, 2019 and NCAA 2023, 2024. Most recently, Mannetti led the Pioneers to back-to-back NEC Championships and NCAA Championship appearances, highlighted by the program’s first ever NCAA Tournament win in 2023. The 2016 Northeast Conference Coach of the Year, Mannetti has coached two players to three conference Player of the Year selections.

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