Women's Baskeball Media Day quick quotes
CLEVELAND -- Defending Mid-American Conference women's basketball champion Eastern Michigan has been tabbed as the favorite to win the West Division, while two-time East Division champion Miami has been picked to win its third straight divisional crown, it was announced by the league office today. The Eagles have also been chosen as the favorite to win the 2005 Kraft MAC Women's Basketball Tournament. Voting was conducted by members of the MAC News Media Association. The MAC announces only the top three selections in each division.
The Eagles, who won their first MAC tournament title last year over Bowling Green (65-56), have four starters back and nine letterwinners from their 22-8 overall record and a 12-4 MAC mark. Leading the way for EMU is first-team all-MAC pick Ryan Coleman, who was also tabbed MVP of the tournament. Coleman, who averaged 13.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, is joined by second-team all-conference choice Nikki Knapp (12.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and senior guard Erika Ford (7.3 ppg, 5.7 apg).
Despite losing a pair of all-MAC players from a year ago in Colleen Day and Kim Lancaster, Miami will attempt to win its third consecutive divisional crown. This is the first year that the RedHawks have been picked to finish first in the East. Second-team all-MAC pick Cindi Merrill (13.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and Freshman of the Year runner-up Amanda Jackson (12.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg) return. In addition to making an attempt at a three-peat of the East crown, Miami is also shooting to appear in its fifth straight conference semifinal -- the only team in MAC to play in last four tournament semifinals.
Slated to challenge each of the division favorites are Western Michigan and Bowling Green in the West Division and Kent State and Marshall in the East.
Western Michigan has four starters back from a year ago, including MAC Player of the Year Casey Rost (19.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and honorable mention all-MAC pick Maria Jilian (9.7 ppg, 5.8 apg). In addition, the Broncos (19-13, 11-5) also return Carrie Moore, last year's top scoring freshman in the league at 13.7 ppg. WMU is coming off a season that saw the Broncos advance to the quarterfinals of the WNIT.
Bowling Green is coming off its first trip to the MAC championship game since 1994 and returns three starters and 11 letterwinners from last year's 21-10 squad. The Falcons are led by Ali Mann, the 2004 MAC Freshman of the Year, and Liz Honegger (10.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg). BGSU's 11-5 conference mark was a reversal of its 2003 league record, while the Falcons improved their win total by nine games (12 wins in 2002-03).
Among three returning starters for Kent State are Lindsay Shearer and Malika Willoughby. Shearer copped first-team all-MAC accolades after finishing fifth in the league in scoring (13.9 ppg) as a sophomore. Willoughby, meanwhile, paced the MAC in assists (194) and per-game average (6.7) in her first season with the Golden Flashes. KSU (19-10, 12-4) has won at least 10 league games in each of its past 13 seasons.
Junior Sikeetha Shepard-Hall helped Marshall to its first MAC Tournament semifinal appearance in the seven years that the Thundering Herd have been a part of the conference. Shepard-Hall, an honorable mention all-MAC selection last season, is one of three starters back for Marshall (18-12, 8-8). She led the team in scoring (11.8), an average that also ranked 19th in the league.
Exhibition play for MAC teams begin on Wednesday, Nov. 3. The 2004-05 women's basketball regular season gets underway on Saturday, Nov. 15 as Bowling Green opens with Ohio State in the Preseason WNIT.
