RICHMOND, Va. – Saint Louis has been picked as the 2016-17 Atlantic 10 Conference favorite in the league’s annual women’s basketball Preseason Poll. The conference announced the poll results and the Preseason All-Conference awards Tuesday in conjunction with its annual Media Day, held at the Richmond Marriott.
The Billikens, which tied for the regular season title in 2015-16, garnered nine first-place votes for a total of 191 points. Led by junior Jackie Kemph, the reigning A-10 Co-Player of the Year, along with teammate Sadie Stipanovich, a fellow Preseason All-Conference selection, Saint Louis finished 26-8 overall last season and 13-3 in the A-10. Coach Lisa Stone led SLU to the third round of the WNIT and the program’s second-ever appearance in postseason play.
Dayton and Duquesne tied for second in the 2016-17 Preseason Poll with 166 points. Slowed by injuries during the 2015-16 campaign, the Flyers finished 14-15 overall and 7-9 in conference play. Returning for the Flyers this season are Preseason All-Conference honorees Jenna Burdette, Kelley Austria and Saicha Grant-Allen. Each was a key member of the 2014-15 Dayton squad that advanced to the Elite Eight.
Duquesne, the 2016 A-10 Championship Runner-ups, received three first-place votes. The Dukes also finished the 2015-16 season tied for the regular season title with an overall record of 28-6 and 13-3 in league play and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament advancing to the second round. This season, the Dukes are led by Preseason All-Conference selections Kadri-Ann Lass and Amadea Szamosi.
Two-time defending Atlantic 10 Champion, George Washington, was picked to finish fourth, garnering 157 points and two first-place votes. The Colonials were followed by VCU in fifth with 148 points. Fordham finished sixth in the poll with 117 points and Richmond received 108 points to finish seventh in the voting.
Saint Joseph’s (94 points), Rhode Island (78 points), and St. Bonaventure (68 points) finished eighth, ninth and 10th in the poll. George Mason, La Salle, Davidson and Massachusetts rounded out the preseason rankings, respectively.
George Washington’s Caira Washington, Rhode Island’s Charise Wilson and Richmond’s Janelle Hubbard join Burdette (Dayton) and Kemph (Saint Louis) on the Preseason All-Conference First Team. La Salle’s Amy Griffin was selected to the Preseason Second Team All-Conference along with Austria (Dayton), Lass (Duquesne), Szamosi (Duquesne) and Stipanovich (Saint Louis).
Davidson’s Mackenzie Latt, George Washington’s Hannah Schaible, St. Bonaventure’s Mariah Ruff, Chelsea Woods of Saint Joseph’s and Grant-Allen (Dayton) were named to the Preseason All-Conference Third Team. Austria (Dayton), Lass (Duquesne), Washington (George Washington) and Wilson (Rhode Island) were joined by La Salle’s Jasmine Alston on the Preseason All-Defensive Team.
The 2016-17 women’s basketball season tips off on Friday, Nov. 11. Conference play begins on Thursday, Dec. 1. The 2017 Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball Championship will feature a new, enhanced format, with six first-round games being played on campus sites, Feb. 25 and 26, before heading to Richmond, March 3-5 for the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship final. All seven games of the championship played in the Richmond Coliseum will be nationally televised by A-10 media partners: ASN (quarterfinals), CBS Sports Network (semifinals) and ESPNU (championship final).
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