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Lock Haven, Pa. – Defending PSAC East champion Bloomsburg has been picked to repeat in that division while defending PSAC West and tournament champion Edinboro has been selected to win its second straight title in that division in the 2011 PSAC women’s basketball preseason poll. Both squads won their respective divisions by two games last year and return a combined nine starters this season.
The Huskies are the favorite of the majority of the coaches in the East as they received five first place votes to top last year’s favorite, Millersville, which received two first place votes. West Chester came in third with the remaining first place vote while Kutztown is fourth and Shippensburg fifth. The top five is identical to the top five in last season’s final standings. East Stroudsburg, Mansfield and Cheyney round out the poll.
The Fighting Scots are the unanimous favorite in the PSAC West, easily topping out California, IUP and Gannon, which followed in that order. The top four teams in the poll have been responsible for the last five consecutive PSAC championships. Lock Haven, Mercyhurst, Slippery Rock and Clarion are in fifth through eighth place, respectively.
The top three teams in the East poll each placed two players on the preseason all-conference team. Bloomsburg’s Kelsey Gallagher, last year’s PSAC East Athlete of the Year, headlines the team along with fellow 2010-11 All-PSAC East first teamers Aurielle Mosley of Millersville and Dana Wieller of Bloomsburg. West Chester’s Allison Hostetter and Alex Lennon and Millersville’s Mashira Newman make up the other half of the team. That trio was all second team All-PSAC East selections last season. Gallagher is on the preseason all-conference team for the third straight year while both Newman and Wieller are on it for the second consecutive season.
Edinboro players take up half of the spots on the West preseason all-conference team led by senior Renee Brown, a first team All-PSAC West pick last year who is making her second straight appearance on the preseason team. She is joined by teammates Kiara Brown and Darche Jackson, who were two of the four Fighting Scots named to the All-PSAC West second team a year ago, while Jackson was the West Freshman of the Year. California’s Amy Johns, a first team postseason honoree last season, and IUP’s Sarah Pastorek, a second team pick last year, are also on the team. Pastorek, the 2009-10 West Freshman of the Year, is on the preseason team for the second straight year. Rounding out the team is Slippery Rock’s Danielle Smith.
Eastern Division
1. Bloomsburg (5)
2. Millersville (2)
3. West Chester (1)
4. Kutztown
5. Shippensburg
6. East Stroudsburg
7. Mansfield
8. Cheyney
Western Division
1. Edinboro (8)
2. California
3. IUP
4. Gannon
5. Lock Haven
6. Mercyhurst
7. Slippery Rock
8. Clarion
Preseason All-PSAC East Team
Kelsey Gallagher Sr. Bloomsburg East Stroudsburg, Pa./East Stroudsburg South
Allison Hostetter Sr. West Chester Oxford, Pa./Oxford
Alex Lennon Jr. West Chester Lansdowne, Pa./The Shipley School
Mashira Newman Jr. Millersville North Hills, Pa./Upper Dublin
Aurielle Mosley Jr. Millersville York, Pa./Central York
Dana Wieller Jr. Bloomsburg Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty
Preseason All-PSAC West Team
Kiara Brown Jr. Edinboro Ambridge, Pa./Ambridge
Renee Brown Sr. Edinboro Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Alvernia Catholic
Darche Jackson So. Edinboro Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills
Amy Johns Sr. California McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport
Sarah Pastorek Jr. IUP Johnstown, Pa./Bishop McCort
Danielle Smith Sr. Slippery Rock LaGrange, Ga./Troup
Last year, Cheyney (6-20, 2-12) had an entirely new team from the one that took the floor in 2009-10 but this season, the Wolves will have several experienced players taking the floor, led by All-PSAC East second team selection, Nadirah Brown.
Mansfield (7-19, 2-12) looks to have one of its most experienced teams of recent years as 2010-11 second team All-PSAC East selection Mallory Moore leads the way for the Mounties.
East Stroudsburg (5-21, 2-12) has also been inexperienced over the last few seasons but second-year head coach Maureen Smith returns all five starters this year as the Warriors look to climb up the PSAC East standings.
Shippensburg (12-14, 7-7) lost Kasey Gardner, the second-leading scorer in the PSAC last season, but with three starters returning, the Lady Raiders figure to once again be in the hunt for a PSAC postseason berth.
Kutztown (15-12, 8-6) also sustains a big loss in Melissa McQuade, the program’s all-time leading scorer, but junior Ashley Wood returns to lead the Golden Bears after emerging as a legitimate scoring threat last season and finishing second on the team in scoring.
Perennial PSAC tournament contender West Chester (20-7, 11-3) should be a strong contender once again in 2011-12 as the all-conference duo of senior Allison Hostetter and junior Alex Lennon return to lead the Golden Rams.
Millersville (22-7, 11-3), which has appeared in the PSAC tournament semifinals in nine out of the last 10 seasons, should be in the mix to do both once this year. Leading the way are a pair of All-PSAC players from last season in forward Aurielle Mosley, whose 12.6 rebounds per game were tops in the league, and guard Mashira Newman.
Bloomsburg (22-6, 13-1), last year’s PSAC East champion and top scoring team, is favored to repeat this season as the Huskies return nine of 10 letterwinners from last season’s squad, including PSAC East Athlete of the Year Kelsey Gallagher. Former PSAC East Freshman of the Year Dana Wieller was also a first team all-conference selection last season and is the top returning scorer in the PSAC this season.
Clarion (7-19, 4-10) returns all five starters from last year’s squad, which includes a group of four sophomores that started a combined 94 games as freshmen last season.
Just down I-80 at Slippery Rock (3-23, 1-13), second-year head coach Tanya Longo returns four starters, including leading scorer Danielle Smith.
Mercyhurst (15-15, 7-7) has a core group of experienced veterans with four seniors and six juniors leading the way for the Lakers this season but will be without Amy Achesinski, who will slid into an assistant coach’s role this year after finishing third in the PSAC in scoring a year ago.
Seeking its first PSAC playoff appearance since 1991, Lock Haven (11-14, 4-10) appears to be in the mix for a playoff spot as the Lady Eagles should have one of their most experienced teams in recent years with four starters returning.
After setting a Division II record for most wins in a season two years ago, Gannon (13-13, 5-9) missed the PSAC tournament for the first time as a league member last season but with four starters returning, the Golden Knights will aim to return to the postseason.
IUP (19-8, 11-3) has just one starter returning from last season but the Crimson Hawks are favored to be in the PSAC tournament once again as that one starter is junior Sarah Pastorek, a second team all-conference choice last year and a former PSAC West Freshman of the Year.
California (23-8, 11-3) lost the second-leading rebounder in PSAC history in Kayla Smith, who was also a 2,000-point scorer in her outstanding career. But the Vulcans will welcome back a pair of double digit scorers in All-PSAC West first team selection Amy Johns as well as Danielle Luckett as Cal looks to get back to the PSAC Tournament Championship game for the 12th straight season.
Defense wins championships and that was the case for Edinboro (26-4, 13-1) last season as the Fighting Scots claimed their first PSAC title in 21 years on strength of allowing the second-fewest points in the league. The Fighting Scots are favored to repeat in the West this season as 12 of 14 letterwinners return from last year’s championship squad, including five all-conference players that each averaged at least nine points per contest.