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WATCH: CAC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll Video Christopher Newport was tabbed as the preseason favorite in the 2019-20 Capital Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Poll. The Captains received five first-place votes and tallied 25 points to secure the top spot in voting among the conference head coaches. Southern Virginia nabbed the remaining first-place vote along with 20 points to finish second, with Salisbury sitting third with 16 points. Mary Washington was close behind in fourth place with 14 points, while York (10 points) and St. Mary's (5 points) completed the voting in fifth and sixth places, respectively. The 2019-20 season tips off on Friday, Nov. 8 with a pair of CAC teams in non-conference action. The CAC postseason is set to begin on Feb. 19, with the title game on Feb. 26. 2019-20 CAC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
Below is a brief preview of each team entering the 2019-20 campaign: After reaching the Sweet Sixteen for the sixth time in the last seven seasons, the CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT UNIVERSITY women's basketball team was ranked No. 21 in the nation in the final poll of 2018-19. This season, the Captains will return All-Region senior guard Kiana Kirkland to lead a young squad hoping to make it 7-for-8. Kirkland led the team with 11.9 points per game and earned first team All-Conference honors while Sondra Fan added 10.3 points per game and was named CAC Rookie of the Year. This year's team features 16 players in their first or second season at Christopher Newport with just three upperclassmen. Returning Starters: Kiana Kirkland, Sondra Fan, Bailey Hodges
Notable Statistics: Captains logged the third-highest scoring season in program history last year; Captains shattered the program record for three-pointers made in a season with 246 (led by rookie Jessica Foster with 79)
Returning All-CAC Performers: Kiana Kirkland, G, 1
Returning All-Region Performers: Kiana Kirkland, G, 1
First-time Head Coach Lynette Schroeder will continue to build on SOUTHERN VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY's historic season last year. The Knights produced a 21-6 overall record and a second-place finish in the CAC, both setting program bests. Southern Virginia will feature a young but experienced lineup after losing two key starters. The Knights are led by All-American and CAC Player of the Year Katie Garrish after a stellar sophomore season. All-CAC Second Teamer Savanna Christensen also returns to energize the Knights on both ends of the floor. Cory Stout enters her senior season after starting a majority of the last season's games at point guard while Amanda Wood and Angel Tuisavura look to step forward for the Knights after carving out minutes last season. Southern Virginia adds eight new players looking to provide depth for the 2019-20 season. Number of returning starters: 3 The SALISBURY women's basketball team returns a handful of young talent from last year's team who Head Coach Kelly Baskow will look to build a contending team around. After losing four contributing seniors from the 2018-19 season, look for Junior Amber Onyekwere and sophomores Kaylee Otlowski and Kylie Webb to take a big step forward in becoming focal points in this year's squad. Sophomores Lauren Fortescue and Jada Welbon, and Junior Courtney Brigham should also see their roles expand in 2019. Returning Starters: #12 Amber Onyekwere, #21 Kaylee Otlowski, #22 Kylie Webb The UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON will look to improve off last season's CAC semifinal appearance. The Eagles will boast a young squad, but will rely on Emily Thompson, Maddie Shifflett, and Tory Martin for leadership. Thompson was a second team All-CAC performer last season and is known for her sharpshooting ability. Shifflett is working her way back from an injury, but hope that her scoring ability will help the Eagles on the offensive end. Martin will be depended upon for her inside presence and in the rebounding department. Number of returning starters: 3 The YORK COLLEGE OF PENNSYLVANIA women's basketball team is looking to bounce back from a down season with a big core of talented newcomers that will give the Spartans a chance to end their run in the CAC on a high note. Junior guard Kayla Ferris will lead a young team into action as she returns as York's most experience player. The squad doesn't have a senior as youth will be served with this year's edition of the squad. Other returners who will play a role for the Spartans include juniors Molly Day, Lindsay Brown, and Sammie Matteo while sophomores Alana Bortner, Meghan Carlson, and Haley Luckabaugh will play key roles for York. Returning Starters: Kayla Ferris, Meghan Carlson, Molly Day Notable Statistics: Kayla Ferris is York's top returning scorer as she averaged 10.1 points per game, good for 15th in the league … Ferris led the league in minutes played at 35.7 minutes per game … Ferris was second in the CAC in assists per game at 3.2 apg while she was fourth in the CAC in assist to turnover ratio (1.4). Returning All-CAC: Kayla Ferris (Junior, Guard) The ST. MARY'S COLLEGE OF MARYLAND women's basketball team looks to improve off their 2018-19 campaign where they finished with a 7-19 overall record that included a 3-11 mark in CAC play. The Seahawks have nine returners on their roster this year that will provide veteran leadership and welcome three newcomers. Janey Mathisen, Kelli Jenkins, Cameron Mangold, Christine McKee, Cassidy Kupchinskas, Gina Seifert, and Hallie Persell all made starts for the Seahawks last season. Seifert was selected to the All-CAC Second team last year as she led the Seahawks in scoring with 10.4 points per game and averaged a team-best 7.4 rebounds per game, good for third in the conference. Additionally, Seifert paced the Seahawks in field goal percentage, shooting 45.7 percent from the field and led St. Mary's College with five double-doubles. |
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