NEW YORK — The women’s basketball team at NYU is achieving an impressive feat that few teams have been able to match. The Violets, currently ranked No. 1, are on a remarkable 49-game winning streak that extends back to their undefeated NCAA Division III championship season last year. This accomplishment ties them for the 16th longest winning streak in NCAA women’s basketball across all divisions and marks the longest active streak in NCAA basketball, including both men’s and women’s teams.
Their next challenge comes Friday night at home against the University of Chicago, a team they recently defeated 76-49 away from home last week. A victory would elevate their streak to 50 games, putting them in a tie with Amherst for the ninth longest in Division III history.
Despite their remarkable accomplishments, both the team and Head Coach Meg Barber prefer not to dwell on their streak. “This current team feels so distinct. The experience has been akin to solving a new puzzle. To me, this doesn’t feel like a continued run for the program,” expressed Coach Barber. “This group is crafting its own unique story. Each game tends to make me anxious.”
Those nerves typically dissipate quickly, as NYU has trailed in only one game this season, facing a brief 5-2 deficit against Case Western last month, before dominating the game to a score of 107-31.
Interestingly, Barber and her squad were oblivious to their winning streak until they reviewed footage of past games and heard it mentioned by announcers. “When I first heard it, I thought the announcers were just fabricating those numbers. Those sorts of milestones are not at all on my mind,” she remarked, adding, “But later, it’s astonishing to reflect on; it is a fantastic statistic. Yet, in the moment, my focus was disrupted by a play where they successfully made a three-pointer.”
Before her return to NYU seven years ago, Barber had stepped away from coaching, opting instead to attend law school after interning as an assistant at Temple. She found fulfillment in her new career path until former NYU coach Janice Quinn contacted her, extending an opportunity to take over as coach at her alma mater. “I thought, no way, if there’s one position worth forgoing law school, this is it,” Barber stated. “The memories here mean the world to me. I knew what this place could mean for future generations, and it felt like the perfect opportunity both personally and professionally.”
Since Barber’s playing days in the late 1990s, NYU has transformed significantly. Notably, the university inaugurated a new athletic facility in Greenwich Village, costing nearly $1.3 billion, which now includes classrooms, accommodation for students and faculty, and state-of-the-art performing arts spaces.
Due to construction, the teams had to play at alternate venues from 2016 until the new opening in 2023. The success spans beyond just the women’s basketball team; NYU’s men’s basketball team currently holds the No. 3 rank in Division III, and the men’s volleyball team is at No. 1 as well, while women’s volleyball made it to the Final Four in the first year of the facility’s operation.
During the construction phase, Barber had to persuade recruits to join the program, one of whom was standout Natalie Bruns. Barber took Bruns across the street from the temporary gym to showcase visuals of the anticipated facility. “It wasn’t solely about the court, but rather about the teammates and culture we were being recruited into,” Bruns reflected. “To see this vision materialize means everything. Starting my journey here at 18 with such immense support is indescribable.”
Bruns played an instrumental role in last year’s championship and chose to utilize the extra year of eligibility offered by the NCAA due to the pandemic, opting to stay and chase her master’s degree in cybersecurity at NYU despite having other Division I offers. “I couldn’t find a master’s in cybersecurity at other options I looked at, and after enjoying great success here over the last three years, I wanted to take another year to play alongside my best friends and make the most of my final year,” she commented.
She wasn’t the only player who opted for a fifth year at NYU. Barber identified Jamie Behar, who was in the transfer portal after four seasons at Lehigh and looking for a second master’s in sports business, making NYU an ideal choice. Behar’s transition from Division I to Division III was quite rare. “I felt this was the best environment for both basketball and academics,” Behar said. “There’s a misconception about Division I and Division III that it’s solely dictated by the school.”
NYU provides opportunities that weren’t available to Behar at Lehigh. The Violets compete in the University Athletic Association, which encompasses teams in cities like Chicago, New York, Boston, St. Louis, and Atlanta. Thus, the team often flies to conference games. “In the Patriot League, everything was a drive away. So the flying aspect is a new and exciting experience for me,” she noted. “It’s quite exhilarating to engage in that element of competition.”
Despite having held an athletic scholarship at Lehigh, Behar praised NYU for finding alternative ways to assist student-athletes with tuition, which is approximately $63,000, through various grants and need-based financial aid.
