Simpson Women's Basketball Ranked 16th In USA Today ESPN Preseason Poll

The Simpson College Women's Basketball team has been selected 16th in the USA Today ESPN Top 25 DIII Preseason Coaches' Poll released Nov. 5.  This poll is voted on by members of the WBCA from all eight regions.  UW-Whitewater has been chosen first in the poll.

Rank Team (First Place Votes) 2008 LR 2008 Rec Pts

  1. UW-Whitewater (5) 3 29-4 228
  2. Oglethorpe (2) 6 27-7 212
  3. Kean 7 28-4 201
  4. Washington (Mo.) (2) 25 19-8 197
  5. DePauw 5 28-4 196
  6. Hope 4 30-1 181
  7. Rochester 18 26-6 178
  8. Baldwin-Wallace 13 27-3 163
  9. Thomas More 9 29-1 145
  10. University of Chicago 14 22-6 140
  11. DeSales 20 26-4 132
  12. Illinois Wesleyan 17 26-3 119
  13. Messiah 2 30-3 116
  14. Howard Payne 1 33-0 115
  15. Tufts University 8 26-4 97
  16. Simpson  11 27-3 94
  17. Saint Norbert NR 22-5 69
  18. Amherst College 12 27-3 68
  19. The College of New Jersey NR 22-7 66
  20. College of St. Benedict NR 20-6 60
  21. Mary Washington 10 28-3 49
  22. UW-Eau Claire 23 23-7 45
  23. Bowdoin College NR 19-9 4
  24. Marymount NR 23-5 44
  25. Hardin-Simmons NR 21-6 42

Others Receiving Votes: Randolph-Macon 29; Southern Maine 29; William Smith 29; McMurry (Texas)18; New York University 16; Muhlenberg 15; Puget Sound 12; Albion College11; George Fox 11; Scranton 11; UW-Stevens Point 10; Chapman 9; Eastern Connecticut 8; Maryville (Mo.)8; State University of New York at Cortland 8; Emmanuel College 7; Medaille 4; Carthage 3; Franklin & Marshall College 3; Saint Lawrence University 2; William Paterson University 2; Emory 1; Greensboro College 1; Salem State College 1; Western Connecticut State 1.

The USA TODAY ESPN Board of Coaches is made up of 11 head coaches at Division III institutions. All are members of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). The 2008-09 board: Nan Carney-DeBord - Non-voting Chair (Ohio Wesleyan University), Aaron Roussell (University of Chicago), Amie Bradley (Trinity University), Brian Niemuth (Simpson College), Doreen Carden (Albion College), G.P. Gromacki (University of Scranton), James Scheible (University of Rochester), Michele Sharp (Kean University), Mike Strong (University of Scranton), Ron Rohn (Muhlenberg College), and Suzy Barcomb (University of Puget Sound).

Simpson was ranked 19th in the preseason D3hoops.com Top 25 released Oct. 29.  The website which is published by Pat Coleman, has selected UW-Whitewater No. 1.  It's the 10th season of the poll, which is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country, and is published weekly.

D3hoops.com Top 25 Preseason Poll (First Place Votes) 2007-08 Record  Pts LR
  1. UW-Whitewater (14) 29-4 604 4
  2. Oglethorpe (3) 27-7 566 6
  3. DePauw (2) 28-4 517 5
  4. Kean 28-4 491 7
  5. Rochester (2) 22-6 425 20
  6. Washington U. (2) 19-8 421 -
  7. Thomas More 29-1 420 8
  8. Hope 30-1 397 2
  9. DeSales 26-4 383 18
  10. Illinois Wesleyan 26-3 328 14
  11. Chicago 22-6 325 19
  12. Baldwin-Wallace 27-3 323 15
  13. Howard Payne (2) 33-0 295 1
  14. Messiah 30-3 280 3
  15. Bowdoin 19-9 270 -
  16. Tufts 26-4 255 12
  17. St. Norbert 22-5 221 25
  18. New Jersey 22-7 196 -
  19. Simpson 27-3 166 10
  20. McMurry 25-5 151 11
  21. Amherst 27-3 119 13
  22. Marymount 23-6 117 -
  23. St. Benedict 20-6 112 -
  24. Muhlenberg 21-7 86 -
  25. UW-Eau Claire 23-7 76 24

Others receiving votes: Mary Washington 70, Carthage 54, Chapman 51, Southern Maine 46, Brandeis 44, William Smith 43, Western Connecticut 42, UW-Stevens Point 36, Whitman 22, Eastern Connecticut 20, St. Lawrence 20, Emmanuel 14, Randolph-Macon 12, Hardin-Simmons 11, Lewis and Clark 10, Capital 9, Cortland State 9, George Fox 9, Loras 8, Trinity (Texas) 8, Elmhurst 7, Lebanon Valley 7, Millikin 7, Salem State 7, Scranton 5, Wilmington 3, Emory 2, Lake Forest 2, Calvin 1, Franklin and Marshall 1, Wheaton (Mass.) 1.

The Storm are 20th in the preseason Women's DIII News Top 25 basketball poll.  The magazine which is published by Gary Rubin of Beaverton, Ore., has selected Baldwin-Wallace as its No. 1 team. 

Women's DIII News has selected Simpson to win the Iowa Conference ahead of Coe and Luther.   The Storm are coming off a 27-3 season in which Simpson reached the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season.  The defending Iowa Conference Champion and IIAC Tournament Champion, Simpson is looking to head back to the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament for the fifth year in a row.

  • Women's DIII News Preseason Top 25
  • 1. Baldwin-Wallace
  • 2. Washington (Mo.)
  • 3. Oglethorpe
  • 4. The College of New Jersey
  • 5. DeSales
  • 6. UW-Whitewater
  • 7. Southern Maine
  • 8. Kean
  • 9. Univ. of Rochester
  • 10. Thomas More
  • 11. DePauw
  • 12. Amherst
  • 13. St. Benedict
  • 14. Hardin-Simmons
  • 15. Univ. of Chicago
  • 16. Capital
  • 17. Cortland State
  • 18. St. Norbert
  • 19. Tufts
  • 20. SIMPSON
  • 21. Eastern Connecticut State
  • 22. Randolph-Macon
  • 23. Hope
  • 24. Illinois Wesleyan
  • 25. Messiah
Simpson gets the 2008-09 campaign underway Nov. 21 when the Storm play Carthage in the first round of the Nebraska Wesleyan Classic. Gametime is set for 5 p.m. in Lincoln.

 

Last Updated: 11/12/08