Lions Picked to Finish Ninth in Conference
ROCK HILL, S.C.-- The Mars Hill women's basketball team was picked to finish ninth in the South Atlantic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, which was released Thursday.
Mars Hill received 15 points in the poll. The Lions are coming off a season in which they finished 13-14 overall. MHC's 6-12 conference record placed them ninth in the league. This season will be the Lions' first under new head coach Sarah Jansen. MHC returns three players with starting experience and welcomes seven newcomers to this year's squad.
Returning players with starting experience for Mars Hill include Ansley Ricker, Armeka Booker and Kristen Metcalf. Booker led all returning Lions in scoring average (9.3) and rebounding (5.3 per game) last season. Metcalf was the South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball Scholar Athlete last season and finished third in the conference in three-point field goals per game (2.04). Ricker averaged 7.5 points in 21 minutes per game last season.
Wingate was predicted to repeat as conference champions, earning seven of 10 first-place votes. The Bulldogs won the SAC regular season and tournament titles last season and finished one-win shy of a trip to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship.
Lenoir-Rhyne received a single first-place vote to finish second in the poll. Newberry finished right behind the Bears and earned one first-place vote.
After earning an at-large bid to last season's NCAA Tournament, Tusculum placed fourth in the poll. Catawba was predicted to finish fifth, and received the final first-place vote. The Indians were runners-up in last season's SAC Tournament.
Rounding out the poll were Lincoln Memorial, Carson-Newman, Anderson, Mars Hill and Brevard
2012-13 SAC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
Team Points (First-Place
Votes)
1. Wingate 78 (7)
2. Lenoir-Rhyne 66 (1)
3. Newberry 58 (1)
4. Tusculum 54
5. Catawba 51 (1)
6. Lincoln Memorial 40
7. Carson-Newman 39
8. Anderson 37
9. Mars Hill 15
10. Brevard 11