The University of Scranton’s Kaeli Romanowski shoots in the paint against Concordia-Moorhead in an NCAA Division III women’s basketball sectional final at the John Long Center in Scranton on Saturday, March 14, 2026. (VIN RINELLA / UNIVERSITY OF SCRANTON).
Kaeli Romanowski enjoys being a disruptive force on the basketball court. Hounding and harassing an opposing point guard into committing a turnover. Poking the ball away from a player for a steal. Deflecting a pass or stepping into the passing lane to intercept it.
Call it “Kaeli Chaos.”
It is a role she has perfected since she began playing the sport. She’s so good at it, many have called her the most annoying player on the court.
“I don’t know how I feel about that,” Romanowski said. “But being able to apply that pressure so that my teammates have a little bit of an easier job, they don’t have to worry about as many things.”
University of Scranton coach Ben O’Brien said he has never been around a player — one he has coached nor an opponent — who impacts the game on defense the way Romanowski does.
He calls the senior from Western Wayne “the tip of the spear” that is the Lady Royals defense, which ranks No. 1 in NCAA Division III, allowing just 42.6 points.
“She is somebody you always have to account for because she’s such a disruptive player on that end,” O’Brien said. “It’s really unbelievable.”
Romanowski again will lead the defensive charge Thursday at 7:30 p.m. when the Lady Royals (31-0) face two-time defending national champion NYU (29-0) in the Final Four at Roanoke College’s Cregger Center in Salem, Virginia. The first semifinal at 5 p.m. pits Denison University (28-2) against Wisconsin-Oshkosh (28-3). The winners meet Saturday at 4 p.m. for the national championship.
Her 119 steals not only rank fifth in Division III, they are a single-season Scranton record, surpassing the previous mark of 99 Romanowski set last season. She is smart enough to know how to not be overaggressive and reach for a ball she has no chance of stealing and committing a foul.
O’Brien uses the adjectives tenacious and intense to describe Romanowski’s play. He has never seen her get tired; her motor just keeps going and going. She just isn’t that way in games, but in practice, too.
“She doesn’t have to say a word,” O’Brien said. “Just by her actions, she sets the tone for our team and really is the heart and soul of our team. The way that she goes about things, again every day in practice, makes every other player around her realize they’d better turn up their intensity level or she can make them look bad pretty quickly.”
Twice, Romanowski was Landmark Conference Defensive Player of the Year — as a sophomore in 2024 and again this season. She led the conference in steals three times (2023, 2024, 2026) and finished second once (2025). She is a three-time All-Landmark selection, twice on the first team (2024, 2026) and once on the second team (2025).
But Romanowski isn’t only a defensive force. She does plenty on offense, too. She can shoot the ball and use her quickness to drive to the basket and pass to open teammates.
She scored in double figures seven times this season and averages 5.2 points. She also averages 5.6 rebounds despite standing only 5-foot-4.
“That’s a credit to my teammates,” Romanowski said. “Coach always says you have to pursue 10 balls to get two or three. So we have that mindset to attack the glass every single possession. My teammates do an amazing job of boxing out and I’m kind of the cleanup person. They’re holding the fort down, boxing out the bigger girls, while my girl is getting back on defense in case we want to get out in transition. It’s a team thing. I just so happen to come up with quite a few.”
As for her 125 assists, she also credits her teammates for their ability to finish.
“I have a bit of a speed advantage at times, so I look to attack the basket,” Romanowski said. “If the other girls’ defenders aren’t collapsing, I can take the shot. If they are collapsing, I know I have amazing shooters and playmakers on the outside who can put the ball in the basket. It’s a team effort.
“We have really good ball movement this year and really good chemistry. We know where each other are and what we’re going to do at any point in time. It makes it a lot easier to facilitate and hopefully create the best shot possible for each other.”
After playing her freshman season at Elizabethtown College, Romanowski transferred to Scranton. She said it was a difficult decision, but calls it the best decision of her life.
In 92 games (91 starts) as a Lady Royal, she has 643 points, 454 rebounds, 333 assists and 313 steals, which rank third on the program’s all-time list. O’Brien believes she’s one of the best to play here.
However, Romanowski doesn’t think about her place in Scranton history. She and her teammates are focused on one thing.
“We just want to win,” Romanowski said. “It doesn’t matter where we are in the record book as long as we’re winning. We have our sights set on the national championship. Once the season’s over and our careers are over, we’ll think about it a little more. But now, we’re just living in the moment, hoping to bring home that national championship.”