BROWNWOOD, Texas - The USAToday/ESPN Pre-season Coaches Poll was announced today and the Howard Payne Lady Jacket basketball team was pre-season picked #15 in the nation.
Three-time defending ASC champion Howard Payne (23-6, 16-5 ASC in 2008-09) have won four of the last five conference titles and claimed the NCAA III national championship in 2008.
The Lady Jackets return six for last season's team and have eight in this year's recruiting class.
Preseason Poll: November 4, 2009
USA TODAY ESPN Top 25 women's basketball poll, with first-place votes noted on the right, total points based on 25 points for first place through one point for 25th.
|
Rank
|
Institution - First Place Votes
|
Last Year's
Final Rank
|
Last Year's
Final Record
|
Points
|
|
1.
|
Washington University (Mo.) - 3
|
2
|
26-5
|
167
|
|
2.
|
Hope College (Mich.) - 2
|
5
|
28-2
|
163
|
|
3.
|
Amherst College (Mass.)
|
6
|
29-3
|
159
|
|
4.
|
University of Scranton (Pa.)
|
t8
|
26-5
|
146
|
|
5.
|
George Fox University (Ore.) - 2
|
1
|
32-0
|
144
|
|
6.
|
Illinois Wesleyan University
|
3
|
30-1
|
119
|
|
7.
|
DePauw University (Ind.)
|
24
|
22-5
|
106
|
|
8.
|
Bowdoin College (Maine)
|
21
|
25-5
|
101
|
|
9.
|
Brandeis University (Mass.)
|
11
|
20-8
|
99
|
|
10.
|
Muhlenberg College (Pa.)
|
t15
|
26-4
|
91
|
|
11.
|
Kean University (N.J.)
|
25
|
22-7
|
88
|
|
12.
|
University of Southern Maine
|
NR
|
22-7
|
82
|
|
13.
|
University of Wisconsin, Whitewater
|
18
|
23-5
|
78
|
|
14.
|
Capital University (Ohio)
|
NR
|
22-6
|
66
|
|
15.
|
Howard Payne University (Texas)
|
NR
|
23-6
|
64
|
|
16.
|
University of Chicago (Ill.)
|
NR
|
17-8
|
59
|
|
17.
|
Trinity University (Texas)
|
NR
|
20-8
|
51
|
|
18.
|
University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point
|
7
|
26-4
|
48
|
|
19.
|
Marymount University (Va.)
|
NR
|
20-7
|
47
|
|
20.
|
Moravian College (Pa.)
|
NR
|
21-7
|
46
|
|
21.
|
University of Texas - Dallas
|
NR
|
21-5
|
40
|
|
t22.
|
College of St. Benedict (Minn.)
|
17
|
26-4
|
30
|
|
t22.
|
New York University
|
14
|
23-5
|
30
|
|
24.
|
Hardin-Simmons University (Texas)
|
NR
|
22-6
|
26
|
|
25.
|
Simpson College (Iowa)
|
22
|
24-4
|
25
|
Others Receiving Votes: The College of New Jersey - 23; Randolph-Macon College (Va.) - 21; DeSales University (Pa.) - 18; University of Puget Sound (Wash.) - 16; William Paterson University (N.J.) - 16; Thomas More College (Ky.) - 15; Keene State College (N.H.) - 14; University of Wisconsin, Stout - 13; Tufts University (Mass.) - 12; University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire - 9; Baldwin-Wallace College (Ohio) - 8; University of Mary Washington (Va.) - 8; University of Rochester (N.Y.) - 7; Calvin College (Mich.) - 6; Whitman College (Wash.) - 6; Christopher Newport University (Va.) - 3; University of Pittsburgh Greensburg (Pa.) - 2; Messiah College (Pa.) - 1; State University of New York at Cortland - 1; Washington & Jefferson College (Pa.) - 1.