Lock Haven, Pa. - Defending divisional champions West Chester and California have been picked to repeat as champions in a vote of the PSAC’s head coaches, highlighting the PSAC women’s basketball preseason poll. The Golden Rams tied for the East championship with Millersville while the Vulcans won the West championship by one game over Gannon and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight.
It was a close race for the top spot in the East, as the Golden Rams edged out Millersville, who they tied with for the East title last year, for the top spot by just one point as both teams received three first place votes apiece. West Chester also received four second place votes and one third place vote while the Marauders got three second place votes and two third place votes. Kutztown received the other two first place votes to place third in the poll while Shippensburg took fourth. Cheyney, Bloomsburg, East Stroudsburg and Mansfield rounded out the East poll.
California, which has qualified for the NCAA Elite Eight in each of the last two seasons, received five out of eight first place votes in the West. The Vulcans were followed by Gannon, which received two first place votes. Defending PSAC Tournament champion IUP was third while Edinboro came in fourth and received the other first place vote. The Fighting Scots were followed in order by Mercyhurst, Clarion, Slippery Rock and Lock Haven.
Players from six different teams made up the All-PSAC East Preseason team. Two-time PSAC Athlete of the Year Lauren Beckley leads the East squad and she is joined by fellow 2008-09 first team All-PSAC East honorees Janelle Garber of West Chester and Melissa McQuade of Kutztown. Jenna Craig of Millersville, Kelsey Gallagher of Bloomsburg and Lutiffyya Muhammad of Cheyney, each of which was on the All-PSAC East second team last year, round out the preseason All-PSAC East team.
The All-PSAC West Preseason team features individual from five different teams. Divisional favorite California was the only team in either division to have more than one representative as last year’s PSAC West Co-Athlete of the Year Brooque Williams and teammate Kayla Smith headline the team. Edinboro’s Kelsey Conklin and Gannon’s Kristina Freeman are also on the team. That quartet was on the All-PSAC West first team last year. Amy Achesinski of Mercyhurst and Bethany Koch of Clarion round out the preseason All-PSAC West team. Both were honored on the postseason All-PSAC West second team a year ago.
The results of the coaches’ poll are listed below. First place votes are in parenthesis. Listed below after the preseason all-conference teams are brief synopsis of each team in reverse order of prediction.
Eastern Division
1. West Chester (3)
2. Millersville (3)
3. Kutztown (2)
4. Shippensburg
5. Cheyney
6. Bloomsburg
7. East Stroudsburg
8. Mansfield
Western Division
1. California (5)
2. Gannon (2)
3. IUP
4. Edinboro (1)
5. Mercyhurst
6. Clarion
7. Slippery Rock
8. Lock Haven
Preseason All-PSAC East Team
Lauren Beckley Sr. Shippensburg Fairfield, Pa./Fairfield
Jenna Craig Sr. Millersville Lewistown, Pa./Lewistown
Janelle Garber Sr. West Chester Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown
Kelsey Gallagher So. Bloomsburg East Stroudsburg, Pa./East Stroudsburg South
Melissa McQuade Jr. Kutztown Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler
Lutiffyya Muhammad Sr. Cheyney Philadelphia, Pa./Delaware State
Preseason All-PSAC West Team
Amy Achesinski Jr. Mercyhurst Butler, Pa./Butler
Kelsey Conklin Sr. Edinboro Edinboro, Pa./General McLane
Kristina Freeman Sr. Gannon Yonkers, N.Y./Pelham Memorial
Bethany Koch Sr. Clarion Sligo, Pa./Union
Kayla Smith Jr. California Elkins, W.Va./Elkins
Brooque Williams Sr. California Pittsburgh, Pa./Perry
In order to climb out of its predicted finish of eighth place, MANSFIELD (7-20, 3-11) need its returning players to generate more in terms of point production. While that daunting task is not helped with the loss of three starters, a boost will come in the form of Mallory Moore, who led the Mountaineers in scoring during her freshman campaign. Graduate student Mallory Hafer is another threat, as she hopes to return to her form from her sophomore year, when she led the PSAC in three-point field goals.
There will be new faces all around at EAST STROUDSBURG (12-15, 5-9), which will not only have a new head coach, but also will have to replace the 20 points per game of the school’s all-time leading scorer, Jackie Yandrisevits. Only one starter who averaged more than five points per game returns, that being guard DeAnna Rayam. The play of the senior forward will be counted on right from the start, as she will look to lead a group of seven freshmen slated to join the Warrior roster this year.
There will be several new faces at BLOOMSBURG (11-16, 3-11) this year as well, 12 to be exact, as only three letterwinners return from 2008-09. One of those is last year’s PSAC East Freshman of the Year, Kelsey Gallagher, the Huskies top scorer and the PSAC leader in minutes played. She will be joined by a fellow conference Rookie of the Year in Libby Shober, the 2008-09 Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year at Division III Susquehanna.
Head coach Marylin Stephens led CHEYNEY (12-13, 7-7) to the PSAC tournament last year in her first season and has high hopes of making another trip in the upcoming campaign. Stephens has the luxury of returning her two top scorers from last year, Lutifyaa Muhammad and Angel Stephens, both of whom were All-PSAC East selections. Muhammad led the team in scoring and ranked fifth in the PSAC in assists, while the versatile Stephens nearly averaged a double-double at 13.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.
SHIPPENSBURG (12-15, 6-8) is looking to rebound from a disappointing campaign, having missed out on the PSAC Tournament after being the preseason favorite in the Eastern Division. The Lady Raiders will pin their hopes on all-everything standout Lauren Beckley, last year’s second-leading scorer and leading rebounder in the PSAC. A two-time league Athlete of the Year, Beckley will be joined by a solid returning cast that features four returning starters, including junior Kasey Gardner and sophomore Erin Varley, each of whom had more than 75 assists last year.
KUTZTOWN (20-8, 10-4) will have the luxury of having all five returning starters from last year’s team back in the fold – a group that finished in third place in the PSAC East. Among those returnees are Melissa McQuade and Rachel Wisemiller, a pair of All-PSAC East selections who enter the campaign with over 700 career points. McQuade, who averaged a double-double while ranking third in the league in rebounding, leads a Kutztown contingent that gives 16th year head coach Janet Malouf hopes of a divisional title and an extended playoff run.
MILLERSVILLE (23-7, 11-3), which tied for the top spot in the East in 2008-09, can almost always be counted on to be near the top of the PSAC East standings, evidenced by the fact it is seeking a 14th straight PSAC Tournament appearance. While the Marauders lose first team All-PSAC East player Gladine St. Julien, they do return three starters, including leading rebounder and second team All-PSAC forward Jenna Craig, as well as second-leading scorer Ashley Moyer.
Last year’s PSAC East co-champion along with Millersville was WEST CHESTER (20-9, 11-3), and the Golden Rams emerge as the favorite to repeat. In a quest to do so, the Rams will have to replace leading scorer and rebounder -- former PSAC East Athlete of the Year Dana Weems. Helping the cause this season is the return of first team All-PSAC East forward Janelle Garber and former PSAC East Rookie of the Year Megan Stewart to occupy the post and perimeter, respectively, along with forward Allison Hostetter, who started every game last year as a freshman.
There is nowhere to go but up for a young LOCK HAVEN (3-24, 0-14) squad that endured some growing pains in 2008-09. Leading scorer Lauren Kelshaw has departed but the Lady Eagles should have a decent amount of depth with the return of four starters and a pair of experienced players who missed all or most of last year due in injuries. Headlining the list is Kristin Kudrick, who averaged over 13 points per game in 2007-08.
SLIPPERY ROCK (11-16, 6-8) lost its two top scorers from a 2008-09 team that narrowly missed out on a PSAC postseason berth. This year’s relatively young squad will feature 10 freshmen but it does boast some experience at the guard position with seniors Julie Molloy and Nikki Presto. That duo hopes to lead their younger teammates a year after combining to register 111 assists while averaging nearly 20 points per contest.
CLARION (12-16, 6-8) heads into the upcoming season with an experienced team as it looks for its sixth PSAC Tournament appearance in the last nine seasons. Leading the way is senior guard Bethany Koch, who led the team in assists and ranked second in points and rebounds, and senior forward Sara Pratt. Overall, 10 letterwinners return for veteran head coach Gie Parsons, who won her 400th career game last year.
MERCYHURST (10-17, 4-10) hopes to move up the standings on the strength of four returning starters, led by forward Amy Achesinski. Only a junior, Achesinski led the Lakers in scoring and rebounding last year, and is less than 200 points shy of 1,000 for her career. Also returning is top 3-point threat Samantha Loadman, the top outside shooter for a squad that ranked second in the league in 3-pointers made a year ago.
With a young squad EDINBORO (13-14, 4-10) struggled at times during the 2008-09 campaign but this year has what could be one of the most talented teams in the PSAC. Headlining the deep group of returnees is a pair of All-PSAC West performers and 1,000-point scorers in seniors Kelsey Conklin and Samantha Reimer. Last year’s PSAC West Freshman of the Year Renee’ Brown and fellow classmate Micki Cerchiaro are both versatile guard/forward combination players who were two of the team’s top rebounders last year.
The top priority for second-year IUP (26-6, 11-3) head coach Jeff Dow will be trying to find a replacement for Jahzinga Tracey, one of the top players in PSAC history. Dow’s task will not end there, though, as the Crimson Hawks must also overcome the loss of two of the other top four scorers from a unit that was successful in winning a third straight PSAC Championship in 2009. The Hawks’ most experienced returnees come in the form of guards Kierstin Filla and Lacey Claar, who each posted triple-digit assists and over 40 steals a year ago.
GANNON (26-5, 12-2) looks to have a loaded squad this year, returning 10 players, including four starters, while losing just two players off last year’s NCAA regional finalist team. Leading the way are the top four scorers - Kristina Freeman, Carrie Nolan, Brittany Tabron and Kim Vargas, all of whom averaged in double figures last year. Point guard Tiffany Crocker, who led the league with over five assists per game, also returns to distribute the ball to Gannon’s many scoring threats.
CALIFORNIA (29-4, 13-1) will be welcoming its second new head coach in as many years as Mark Swasey takes over a Vulcan program that has won the last two NCAA regional titles. Although the Vulcans lose three starters from last year’s regional championship team, they return their two biggest scoring threats in PSAC leading scorer and West co-Player of the Year Brooque Williams as well as All-PSAC first teamer Kayla Smith. The Vulcans also add a pair of players who redshirted last year as they try to replenish their roster and stay among the PSAC elite.