| 2009-10 Women's Basketball Coaches
Pre-Season Poll:
|
| School
| (1st)
| Pts.
| 2008-09 All
| 2008-09 NWC
|
| George Fox (Ore.)
| (8)
| 88
| 32-0
| 16-0
|
| Puget Sound (Wash.)
| (1)
| 68
| 18-9
| 11-5
|
| Whitman (Wash.)
|
| 61
| 18-8
| 10-6
|
| Pacific (Ore.)
|
| 49
| 11-14
| 10-6
|
| Whitworth (Wash.)
|
| 49
| 13-12
| 7-9
|
| Lewis & Clark (Ore.)
|
| 38
| 11-14
| 5-11
|
| Pacific Lutheran (Wash.)
|
| 31
| 14-11
| 8-8
|
| Willamette (Ore.)
|
| 17
| 4-18
| 3-13
|
| Linfield (Ore.)
|
| 13
| 3-22
| 2-14
|
(First-place votes in parenthesis. Points awarded on
10-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis).
Defending National Champ George Fox
is Heavy Favorite
Spokane, Wash. - Defending NCAA Division III women's basketball
champion George Fox University has been picked by Northwest
Conference coaches as a heavy favorite to finish atop the
conference standings again in 2009-10.
The Bruins, who rolled to perfect conference and overall records
on the way to last season's national title, picked up eight first
place votes and tallied 88 of 90 possible points in the poll.
George Fox will have to overcome the graduation of 2009 NWC Player
of the Year Kristen Shielee and the loss of First Team All-NWC
guard Sage Indendi, but the Bruins return Second Team All-NWC guard
Keisha Gordon among three starters.
The University of Puget Sound is second in the poll with the
final first place vote and 68 points. The Loggers return
First Team All-NWC guard Claire Ely.
Whitman College (61 points) is third in the poll. The
Missionaries welcome back First Team All-NWC guard Hilary White.
Pacific University and Whitworth University are tied for fourth
in the poll with 49 points each. The Boxers surprised many
last season by making the NWC tournament and welcome back First
Team All-NWC guard Rochelle Reeves. The Pirates will look to
Second Team All-NWC forward Cassie Pilkinton to lead this winter.
Lewis & Clark College (38 points) is sixth in the
poll. The Pioneers will rely on honorable mention All-NWC
forward Margaret Dowling to lead the team back to the conference
playoffs.
Pacific Lutheran University (31 points) is seventh. The
Lutes will have to overcome the graduation of their top three
scorers from last season, including Second Team All-NWC post Emily
Voorhies.
Willamette University (17) and Linfield College (13) are eighth
and ninth in the poll, respectively. Both will have to
overcome significant losses - First Team All-NWC guard Molly
Fillion for the Bearcats and longtime head coach Robyn Stewart for
the Wildcats.
The Northwest Conference will use a conference tournament,
comprised of the top four teams in the final regular season
standings, to decide the automatic (Pool A) bid to the NCAA
tournament.
The season officially gets underway on November 16th.