Edinboro and West Chester Picked First on PSAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Polls

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PSAC Preseason Information Packet

Lock Haven, Pa.  – 2013-14 NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Champion Edinboro and 2013-14 PSAC Semifinalist West Chester have been picked to win their respective divisions according to a PSAC women's basketball preseason poll conducted by the league’s head coaches.
 
Edinboro earned seven first place votes to garner the top position on the Western Division Poll. Defending PSAC Champion Edinboro advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight a season ago and returns four starters from that squad, including reigning PSAC West Athlete of the Year Valerie Majewski. Majewski, a Preseason All-PSAC selection, finished her junior season averaging 16.0 points per game, while totaling 134 assists and 66 steals. Aignee Freeland, also a Preseason All-PSAC pick, was an All-PSAC First Team selection last season averaging 14.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.
 
West Chester returns all five starters from last season and clinched the Eastern Division’s top poll position with four first place nods. The Golden Rams are under the direction of first year head coach Kiera Wooden, who has spent the last 10 years as West Chester’s assistant coach under Deirdre Kane. Preseason All-PSAC selection Dallas Ely will lead the Golden Rams in 2014-15, as she finished her sophomore season as a WBCA All-American and a First Team All-PSAC honoree. Ely finished atop the conference in scoring last season with 19.4 points per game. Also a Preseason All-PSAC recipient and two-time All-PSAC performer, Brittany Sicinski, finished fifth in the East last year with 15.5 points per game.
 
2014 PSAC Semifinalist Bloomsburg finished second in the East with five first place votes. The Huskies return four starters from a squad that played Edinboro for the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional title last season. Of those returners, Jocelyn Ford was named a Preseason All-PSAC honoree after finishing her junior campaign with All-PSAC accolades and averaging 12.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

Gannon picked-up the final two first place nods and is second on the Western poll. The Lady Knights bring back three starters from a season ago, including Preseason All-PSAC selection Nettie Blake. Blake a two-time All-PSAC honoree and led the Lady Knights with 14.3 points per game and 7.9 rebounds per game last season.
 
California earned the third slot on the Western Division poll and will be led by senior Emma Mahady, who finished 2013-14 averaging a team-high 13.4 points per game, while totaling 45 assists and 43 steals.
 
IUP was picked to finish fourth in the West, while senior Lindsay Stamp earned Preseason All-PSAC honors for her 2013-14 PSAC West-leading 17.8 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game.
 
Pitt-Johnstown is slated fifth, while Mercyhurst was granted the sixth slot. No. 7 Slippery Rock will be led by Preseason All-PSAC selection D’Asia Chambers, who led the league last season with an average of 20.9 points per league game.
 
Rounding out the poll is No. 8 Seton Hill and No. 9 Clarion. The Golden Eagles will be captained by three-time All-PSAC honoree and two-time Capital One/CoSIDA Academic Women’s Basketball All-American Hannah Heeter. She has averaged a double-double in each of her three seasons at Clarion.
 
Shippensburg finished third on the Eastern Division poll and will look to Preseason All-PSAC selection Stephanie Knauer to guide a group of four returning starters. Knauer is a two-time All-PSAC performer and finished sixth in the league in scoring (16.1ppg) and first in the conference with a .621 field goal percentage.
 
No. 4 Millersville will be led by Preseason All-PSAC selection Carly Gallagher. She earned All-PSAC Second Team honors a year ago and averaged 14.7 points per outing. No. 5 East Stroudsburg will lean on Preseason All-PSAC recipient Jessica Martin. Martin finished her junior season averaging 12.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest.
 
Kutztown earned the sixth slot in the East, while Lock Haven finished in seventh. Rounding out the poll is No. 8 Mansfield and No. 9 Cheyney.
  
The results of the coaches' polls and the preseason All-PSAC selections are listed below. First-place votes are in parenthesis.


EASTERN DIVISION 

Preseason Poll
1. West Chester (4)
2. Bloomsburg (5)
3. Shippensburg
4. Millersville
5. East Stroudsburg
6. Kutztown
7. Lock Haven
8. Mansfield
9. Cheyney

Preseason All-PSAC East Team
Dallas Ely West Chester Jr. Montrose, Pa. / Montrose
Jessica Martin East Stroudsburg Sr. Brownstown, Pa. / Conestoga Valley
Jocelyn Ford Bloomsburg Sr. Lansing, N.Y. / Lansing
Stephanie Knauer Shippensburg Jr. Hatfield, Pa. / North Penn
Carly Gallagher Millersville Sr. East Stroudsburg, Pa. / East Stroudsburg South
Brittany Sicinski West Chester Jr. Downingtown, Pa. / Downingtown West
 
 






WESTERN DIVISION 

Preseason Poll
1. Edinboro (7)
2. Gannon (2)
3. California
4. IUP
5. Pitt-Johnstown
6. Mercyhurst
7. Slippery Rock
8. Seton Hill
9. Clarion

Preseason All-PSAC West Team
D’Asia Chambers Slippery Rock Sr. Farrell, Pa. / Farrell
Nettie Blake Gannon Sr. Jersey City, N.J. / Marist
Aignee Freeland Edinboro Jr. York, Pa. / William Penn
Valerie Majewski Edinboro Sr. McKean, Pa. / General McLane
Hannah Heeter Clarion Sr. Seneca, Pa. / Cranberry
Lindsay Stamp IUP Sr. Erie, Pa. / Mercyhurst Prep