Saint Joseph's Defends GNAC Title and Secures NCAA Tournament Spot

From Early Struggles to a Historic Seventeen-Game Streak

When injuries forced Ackley to lean deep into his rotation early in the 2025-26 schedule, the Monks looked anything but formidable. Then the locker room shifted. Saint Joseph’s ripped off 17 consecutive victories, marking the third-longest active winning streak in NCAA Division III at the time.

Saint Joseph's Claims GNAC Men's Commissioner's Cup https://t.co/yMfIR4GzES

— https://x.com/SJCmonks/status/1532059936225566721

That surge carried the team to a flawless 12-0 mark in GNAC regular-season play. The regular-season dominance set the stage for a dramatic postseason defense.

Defending the GNAC Title Against the University of Saint Joseph

The conference tournament proved that the Monks’ late-season tear was no fluke. Saint Joseph’s met the University of Saint Joseph in the GNAC Championship game, securing a victory that successfully defended their conference crown. It marked the program’s third GNAC title since joining the conference in 2007 and punched the Monks’ fourth NCAA Tournament appearance.

The national stage brought an immediate, razor-thin test. Saint Joseph’s closed out its campaign with a 71-67 loss to nationally ranked Babson College in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

A Sweep of Major Conference and Regional Honors

The turnaround did not go unnoticed across regional and national ballots. Ackley earned GNAC Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive season, while the Monks swept several of the conference’s major awards.

Remijo Wani led the individual hardware collection, taking home GNAC Player of the Year, GNAC Tournament MVP, Maine State Player of the Year, NABC Third Team All-America, NABC First Team All-District, and D3hoops.com First Team All-Region accolades. Defensive intensity came courtesy of Wani Donato, who secured GNAC and Maine State Defensive Player of the Year honors alongside D3hoops.com Second Team All-Region recognition. Meanwhile, Davis Mann swept the GNAC and Maine State Rookie of the Year awards, and John Paul Frazier rounded out the honorees by collecting Second Team All-GNAC recognition.