R-MC Second, Three Points Separate Next Four Squads

SALEM, Va. --- Roanoke College picked up 10 first place votes and 120 total poll points to earn the top billing in the 2009-10 ODAC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll.  Randolph-Macon College garnered the remaining first place vote and 109 tallies to hold down the second slot.

The next four positions were separated by just three points with Eastern Mennonite University sitting third with 82 points.  Bridgewater College and Virginia Wesleyan College tied for fourth with 81 points apiece, and Washington and Lee University stands sixth with 79 points.  Guilford College (53 pts.) was tabbed seventh followed by followed by Emory & Henry College (44 pts.) and Lynchburg College (40 pts.) in eighth and ninth place.  Randolph College (24 pts.) is slotted 10^th with Hollins University (13 pts.) rounding out the 11-team coaches survey.

Roanoke (23-4, 17-3 ODAC in 2008-09) is not short on talent with both a strong stable of returning players and several key new faces.  The Maroons' perimeter features a pair of all-conference performers in seniors Caitlyn Long and Jaleesa Osborne.  Long, an All-ODAC First Team choice in 2008-09, led the Maroons in scoring at 12.0 points per game, and finished in the top-10 in the league in three point shooting (.369 - 55 made 3FG) and free throw percentage (.764).  Osborne, a second team selection last season, was third in the league in steals (2.59 spg) and fourth in assists (3.93 apg).  Down in the post, Jordan Gholson returns after leading the league in blocks at 2.48 per game.  She also averaged 11.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per outing. Amongst the new crew of players are a pair of NCAA Division I transfers in center Nicci Moats, from the University of Tennessee and James Madison University, and guard Kendra Porter from Radford University.  Also making the move to Roanoke is former Lynchburg second team choice, Kylie Lucas.  Lucas averaged 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest as a Hornet in 2008-09.

Randolph-Macon (23-6, 17-3) won the program's sixth overall championship and fifth title since 2003 last season, and will challenge to repeat again come February.  Two-time ODAC Player of the Year, Molly Ariail, returns to Ashland focused on winning her third ODAC crown.  Ariail, tabbed the NCAA Division III Preseason Player of the Year by DIII News, led the ODAC in scoring at 17.7 points per game, and finished second in rebounding with 7.7 boards per contest.  She also boasted a .501 field goal percentage and averaged 1.45 blocks per game.  Several strong holdovers remain including perimeter duo Maggie Roy (8.6 ppg, .402 3FG%) and Jillian Asay (4.6 ppg) as well as forwards Renee Stein (5.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and Katie Williams (5.8 ppg).

Eastern Mennonite (13-13, 8-12) welcomes back all five starters from a season ago.  All-ODAC Second Team choices, guard Brittany Snyder and center Danielle Scott, lead a unit that also features Ebony Dennis.  Snyder finished sixth in the league in scoring at 13.7 points per game.  She was also the ODAC's top shooter from deep, connecting on 41.4-percent (60-of-145) of her three-pointers.  Scott tied for seventh in the league in scoring at 13.6 points per outing, while also averaging six boards per game.  Dennis recorded 8.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, and is joined by fellow returning starters Miranda Wolfe (7.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and Melissa Lewis (7.2 ppg, 4.5 apg) to form a strong team core.

Posted below is the entire 2009-10 ODAC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll.  For more information on ODAC women's basketball, visit any of the participating schools' websites or the ODAC's NEW home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.

2009-10 ODAC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
(#) Denotes first place votes