2004-05 Women's Basketball Coaches Pre-Season Poll:
| School |
(1st) |
Pts. |
03-04 Overall |
03-04 NWC |
| Puget Sound (Wash.) |
(3) |
76 |
23-5 |
13-3 |
| Whitman (Wash.) |
(3) |
74 |
19-6 |
13-3 |
| Whitworth (Wash.) |
(2) |
69 |
19-6 |
11-5 |
| Pacific Lutheran (Wash.) |
(1) |
59 |
18-6 |
12-4 |
| George Fox (Ore.) |
|
37 |
13-12 |
7-9 |
| Linfield (Ore.) |
|
35 |
10-15 |
7-9 |
| Pacific (Ore.) |
|
34 |
12-11 |
7-9 |
| Willamette (Ore.) |
|
21 |
4-21 |
0-16 |
| Lewis & Clark (Ore.) |
|
13 |
5-20 |
2-14 |
(First-place votes in parenthesis. Points awarded on 10-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis).
Puget Sound, Whitman Lead Crowded Field in 2004-05
Spokane, Wash -- Co-defending champions University of Puget Sound and Whitman College head the 2004-05 Northwest Conference women's pre-season coaches' poll, leading a crowded field at the top of the rankings.
Puget Sound, which advanced to the NCAA sectional finals last winter and finished with an overall record of 23-5, picked up three first place votes and 76 total points to edge Whitman in the poll. The Loggers return All-NWC forward Lindsay May and All-NWC guard Kilty Keaton this season. Head Coach Suzy Barcomb led UPS to its second NWC title last winter. The Loggers won a coin flip with Whitman to garner the NWC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Whitman, which had been picked to finish last in the 2003-04 coaches' poll before earning a co-championship with UPS, also received three first place votes and had 74 points in this fall's poll. All-NWC guard Katie Patneaude returns to lead the Missionaries, as does honorable mention guard Laura Vertatschitsch. Michelle Ferenz was named the 2004 NWC Coach of the Year after guiding Whitman to its first NWC title since 1988.
Whitworth picked up two first place votes and 69 points in the poll. Senior forward Tiffany Speer, the two-time NWC Player of the Year, leads a list of four returning starters, which also includes First Team All-NWC forward Sarah Shogren.
Pacific Lutheran University was fourth in the poll with one first place vote and 59 points. The Lutes will welcome back Second Team All-NWC players Aundi Kustera and Kelly Turner. PLU is looking for its fifth NWC title since 1998 under head coach Gil Rigell.
Fifth through seventh place in the poll were packed even tighter than first through fourth. George Fox University was fifth with 37 points and returns Honorable Mention All-NWC guard Kellie Thomas. Linfield College was sixth with 35 points. Pacific University was seventh with 34 points, welcoming back First Team All-NWC post DeeDee Arnall.
Willamette University (21 points) and Lewis & Clark College (13 points) rounded out the poll in eighth and ninth place, respectively.
For the second year in a row the Northwest Conference will not use a conference tournament to decide the automatic (Pool A) bid to the NCAA tournament. That bid will go to the conference champion and winner of the regular season.
Several teams begin play on November 19th.