Chavis Earns Preseason All-Conference: Women's Basketball Selected Tenth In Preseason Poll

ROCK HILL, S.C.– The Wingate University Bulldogs have been picked to win the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball Championship as voted by the League's head coaches.  Wingate collected nine top votes and received 119 points from the panel. 

The Bulldogs turned in an overall record of 21-9 and a 15-7 Conference mark last season before winning the South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament Championship. 

Landing in in the No. 2 spot in the poll was Anderson, who received three first-place votes and 105 points.  The Trojans finished the 2015-16 season with a 23-7 overall record and a 18-4 record in League play to win the 2015-16 SAC Women's Basketball Regular Season Championship. 

At No. 3 in the poll was Newberry; The Wolves totaled 99 points from the panel. Newberry closed out last season at 17-13 overall and 15-7 in the SAC. 

Carson-Newman landed at the No. 4 slot with 86 points.  The Eagles turned in an overall record of 18-11 and 12-10 League record a season ago. 

Lincoln Memorial rounded out the top five as it garnered 74 points.  The Lady Railsplitters finished the 2015-16 season at 17-12 overall and 13-9 in the South Atlantic Conference. 

Catwaba came in at No. 6 with 69 points, followed by Lenoir-Rhyne with 65 points. Tusculum's56 points was good for No. 8, while Coker picked up 42 points to come in at No. 9. Mars Hilllanded at No. 10 with 39 points and Queens (27 points) and Brevard (11 points) finished up the poll. 

The South Atlantic Conference also announced its Preseason All-Conference Teams with Anderson's Heather Jankowy headlining the first-team.  Jankowy averaged 12.6 points per contest for the Trojans last season, placing first in the Conference. 

Terri Rogers and Bri Johnson of Catawba joined Jankowy on the first-team. Rogers picked up 13.8 points per game last season, while Johnson poured in 15.8 ppg. 

Kailyn Brooks of Carson-Newman, Megan Pittman of Lincoln Memorial and Meg Essex from Newberry rounded out the list of preseason first-team honorees.  Brooks posted 13.8 points per game last season, while Pittman finished the year with 11.9 ppg and Essex closed out her 2015-16 campaign with 12.5 points per outing. 

Earning second-team honors were Alexis Dillard and Jasmine Franklin of Anderson, Paige Chavis of Mars Hill, Wingate's Shelby Tricoli, Newberry's Nicola Handreck and Madison Lenox from Brevard. 

The 2016-17 Women's Basketball season gets underway on Friday Nov. 11.

Women's Preseason All-Conference

First Team

Heather Jankowy, Anderson

Terri Rogers, Catawba

Megan Pittman, Lincoln Memorial

Meg Essex, Newberry

Kailyn Brooks, Carson-Newman

Bri Johnson, Catawba

Second Team

Alexis Dillard, Anderson

Madison Lenox, Brevard

Nicola Handreck, Newberry

Shelby Tricoli, Wingate

Paige Chavis, Mars Hill

Jasmine Franklin, Anderson