Ladies Picked Eighth In SCAC Preseason Poll
The 2023-24 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference women's basketball preseason poll was announced on Thursday.
SUWANEE, Ga. – The Trinity University women's basketball team has been tabbed as the favorite for the 2023-24 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference basketball season, based on preseason balloting from the league's head coaches.
In search of its 11th SCAC women's basketball crown, Trinity, who earned its third-straight league championship a year ago, garnered eight first-place votes to top the coaches' poll with 64 points. Colorado College, coming off its third-straight appearance in the SCAC tournament title game and program-record 14 SCAC wins a season ago, finished second in the poll with 56 total points. Texas Lutheran University, which is one of just four league teams to average 15 wins, including 11 in SCAC play, over the last two seasons, received the final first-place vote and was selected third in the preseason poll with 49 points. Schreiner University, who posted its most wins (17) in a single campaign since joining the SCAC prior to the 2013-14 season, checked in at fourth with 41 points. The University of Dallas matched its highest win total (11) since 2016-17 last year and rounds out the top five in fifth with 38 total points.
University of St. Thomas and Southwestern University both welcome new coaches this season with the hiring of Mansa El-Ward and Caitlin Kriesel-Bigler, respectively, and those two programs were tabbed as the coaches' sixth and seventh choice in the preseason rankings with 27 and 24 points. Rounding out the coaches' selections were Centenary College in eighth (15 points) and Austin College in ninth (12 points).
Trinity University returns a pair of All-SCAC performers off the 2022-23 squad that finished the regular season with an overall mark of 28-2 and made its third-straight and 13th NCAA appearance in program history. Senior Maggie Robbins and junior Josie Napoli, both Third Team All-SCAC honorees last season, return to headline an offense that paced the SCAC for the third consecutive season in scoring offense (84.6 points per game), the second-highest mark in league history. The dazzling guard duo combined to average 20.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and assists and 4.0 steals per game last year.
Head coach Cameron Hill is back on the Trinity sidelines for his 12th season with the Tigers. In 11 seasons at the helm, he has amassed an overall record of 249-49 (.836) and stands at 142-18 (.888) in SCAC play. Hill has guided the Tigers to six SCAC tournament titles and led the Tigers to their second-straight trip to the NCAA Third Round last year.
The 2023-24 season begins on Wednesday, November 8, while the SCAC Tournament will be held at the end of February in Shreveport, Louisiana, hosted by Centenary College, and beginning the 23rd.
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2023-24 SCAC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll |
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1. |
Trinity University (8) |
64 |
|
2. |
Colorado College |
56 |
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3. |
Texas Lutheran University (1) |
49 |
|
4. |
Schreiner University |
41 |
|
5. |
University of Dallas |
38 |
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6. |
University of St. Thomas |
27 |
|
7. |
Southwestern University |
22 |
|
8. |
Centenary College |
15 |
|
9. |
Austin College |
12 |
