Editor's Note: As a tribute to head coach Brian Giorgis' 21 years at Marist, we will highlight one milestone win of his career each week over a 21-week span. Giorgis' final home game as the Red Foxes' head coach will be Feb. 25, 2023 against Niagara. The game is set for a 2 p.m. tip, with a ceremony to follow afterward.

Week One: Giorgis' First Win | Week Two: First Regular-Season Title | Week Three: '04 MAAC Championship | Week Four: '06 MAAC Championship
 
POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – By the time Brian Giorgis' fifth season as head coach of the Marist women's basketball team opened in the fall of 2006, the program was clearly in the upper echelon of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
 
There were two MAAC championships in the last three years, three straight regular-season titles, and three straight appearances in the MAAC final. However, Marist had not entered a season as the MAAC preseason favorite.
 
That trend continued. Marist was picked second in the 2006-07 MAAC preseason poll, trailing the Iona team it had defeated by one point in the previous year's conference semifinals. The Gaels returned a strong nucleus, which featured 6-foot-5 forward Martina Weber, the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year. The Red Foxes also returned a deep and experienced core, although they did have to replace 2006 MAAC Player of the Year Fifi Camara.
 
Hello, Rachele Fitz!
 
The 6-foot Fitz joined the Red Foxes from Seven Hills, Ohio as part of a freshman class that included Lynzee Johnson and Brittany Engle. This trio instantly became fan favorites, and glimpses into Fitz's greatness came instantly as well.
 
Marist opened the 2006-07 season at home against a good Stony Brook team. Fitz checked into the game at the 13:49 mark of the first half, and grabbed an offensive rebound on her first offensive possession. However, after picking up two fouls in a 10-second span, Fitz's first half was over just 64 seconds after it started.
 
In the second half, Fitz checked in at the 15:22 mark. Her first collegiate basket came on her first shot 1:22 later. In a span of just over three minutes, she collected nine points and four rebounds to help the Red Foxes maintain their lead in a highly competitive game.
 
Marist ended up winning, 82-72. In 14 minutes, Fitz scored 17 points, grabbed six rebounds, and didn't miss a shot. She was 6-for-6 from the field, and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line.
 
Both Fitz and the Red Foxes were just getting started. There were numerous examples in the first two months of the season of how dominant this team could be. A 36-point home win over Dartmouth the day before Thanksgiving preceded a 50-point home triumph over Fordham four days later. In December, Marist's second MAAC game was a 70-30 win over Manhattan, in which the Red Foxes set a program record for fewest points allowed to a Division I opponent. There was a 33-point win over traditional mid-major power Liberty on a neutral court at the Terrapin Classic.
 
Marist was establishing excellence on its home floor and within its conference. For the first time in program history, the Red Foxes went undefeated at home. By season's end, Marist had won 25 straight games at the McCann Center. The Red Foxes' 17-1 MAAC record was also its best in program history.
 
As difficult as it was to defeat the Red Foxes, it proved to be almost as difficult to decide who deserved the credit. Was it Fitz, who led Marist in scoring (14.9) and rebounding (6.2), was named MAAC Rookie of the Week 11 times, and MAAC Rookie of the Year? Was it Meg Dahlman, who teamed with Fitz in the post and provided outstanding play on both ends of the floor? Was it Alisa Kresge, who was named MAAC Defensive Player of the Year for the third straight season and provided excellent leadership at point guard? Was it the coaching of Giorgis?
 
The answer could be all of the above, or none of the above. A team that won the MAAC by four games did not have a single first team selection, as Fitz, Dahlman, and Kresge were all second team honorees. For the first time since his inaugural season four years earlier, Giorgis was not named MAAC Coach of the Year. That honor instead went to Joe Logan, whose Loyola team was the only one to defeat Marist in conference play. Iona's Weber, who was named Preseason Player of the Year, earned the honor following the season as well.
 
For the 2007 MAAC Championship, the double-bye format was scrapped, which meant the Red Foxes needed three wins to secure their third straight championship. In the quarterfinals, Marist scored the first 11 points and cruised to a 55-42 victory over eighth-seeded Manhattan. The following day against fifth-seeded Siena, an early 10-0 run gave the Red Foxes the lead for good in their 71-59 victory.
 
Marist was in its fourth straight MAAC final, and second-seeded Iona loomed. This test proved to be far tougher. The Red Foxes once again jumped out to a sizable first-half lead, which reached as high as nine points, but the Gaels fought back. There were nine lead changes and five ties in the game, and a frenetic final couple minutes. Weber gave Iona a 51-50 lead with 2:01 left, but Dahlman gave Marist the advantage back on the ensuing possession. Two free throws by Lauren DeFalco put Iona up one with 1:15 to go, but Julianne Viani tied the game on a free throw with 52 seconds remaining. Neither team scored on its final possession, and this became the first MAAC women's championship game to go to overtime.
 
Fittingly, Dahlman's putback on the first possession of overtime gave the Red Foxes the lead for good in their 64-57 victory. Dahlman ended with 21 points, eight rebounds, and five blocked shots in addition to her outstanding defense on Weber, who was held to 12 points on 4-for-14 shooting. After averaging 21.0 points and 10.7 rebounds per game in the championship, Fitz was named Most Valuable Player.
 
The Red Foxes were headed to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, and third time in four years. Their destination for the first two rounds was Stanford. As the Red Foxes' plane to the west coast went airborne on March 14, 2007, the program's national profile was about to take flight as well.
 

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A signature program win.