UAA Women #13 in D-II preseason rankings

ATLANTA – The Alaska Anchorage women’s basketball team premiered at No. 13 in the USA Today/ESPN Division II Top 25 preseason poll, released Wednesday.

The Seawolves – coming off a 24-5 campaign and an NCAA Second Round appearance – are one of three West Region teams in the rankings, joined by No. 8 Seattle Pacific and No. 11 UC San Diego.

Arkansas Tech (31-3 last year) was tabbed the No. 1 team to start the season, garnering 15 of 29 first-place votes.

With Wednesday’s ranking, UAA has now been in the poll for 50 straight weeks – the fourth-longest streak in Division II behind Washburn (119), Emporia State (105) and West Texas A&M (83).

The Seawolves, who debuted Tuesday with a 72-49 road exhibition loss to Indiana, move on next to Ohio to face another tough Division I squad in Toledo on Thursday (3 p.m. ADT).

With three starters and six letterwinners returning, the Seawolves begin the regular season Nov. 12-14 in Anaheim at Disney’s Div. II Tip-Off Classic. UAA will open against No. 11 UCSD, followed by games against fellow West Region foe Grand Canyon (which received six votes in Wednesday’s poll) and Texas Woman’s.

All of the Disney action can be heard live in Anchorage on FM-93.7 KAFC.

USA Today/ESPN Division II Top 25
Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll – Nov. 3, 2010

Rk School (1st-place votes)   Pv Rk  09-10  Pts

 1 Arkansas Tech (15)         6      31-3   671

 2 Delta State (Miss.) (4)    8      27-4   621

 3 Tusculum (Tenn.) (2)       9      23-10  569

 4 Lander (S.C.) (1)          11     27-4   516

 5 Holy Family (Pa.)          13     30-3   478

 6 Emporia State (Kan.) (6)   1      30-5   464

 7 West Texas A&M             12     30-4   460

 8 Seattle Pacific (Wash.)    7      27-4   450

 9 Washburn (Kan.)            10     27-4   414

10 Indianapolis (Ind.)        14     26-4   397

11 UC San Diego               15     25-5   376

12 Fort Lewis (Colo.)         3      35-4   363

13 Alaska Anchorage           16     24-5   362

14 Franklin Pierce (N.H.)     4      32-2   261

15 Gannon (Pa.)               2      37-1   252

16 Drury (Mo.)                21     28-7   241

17 Michigan Tech              5     28-2   240

18 Wayne State (Neb.)         NR     26-5   198

19 California (Pa.)           NR     24-8   197

20 Fort Valley State (Ga.)    17     26-3   182

21 Clayton State (Ga.)        22     24-7   177

22 Northeastern State (Okla.) 24     28-7   161

23 Grand Valley State (Mich.) NR     18-10  150

24 Bentley (Mass.) (1)        NR     19-11  148

25 Tampa (Fla.)               18     26-5   132

Others Receiving Votes: Millersville (Pa.) 100; Concordia (Minn.) 95; Chico State (Calif.) 77; Francis Marion (S.C.) 68; Charleston (W.Va.) 52; West Liberty (W.Va.) 44; Wisconsin-Parkside 38; Augustana (S.D.) 34; Western Washington 34; Barton (N.C.) 30; Indiana (Pa.) 30; Carson-Newman (Tenn.) 26; Florida Southern 26; Saint Mary's (Texas) 26; Findlay (Ohio) 23; Shaw (N.C.) 22; Pace (N.Y.) 17; Fairmont State (W.Va.) 16; Minnesota State-Mankato 16; Southern Indiana 16; Tarleton State (Texas) 15; Bowie State (Md.) 13; Stonehill (Mass.) 13; Colorado School of Mines 11; Central Missouri 11; Adams State (Colo.) 10; Colorado State-Pueblo 10; Northern Michigan 10; Assumption (Mass.) 9; Glenville State (W.Va.) 8; Virginia State 8; Fayetteville State (N.C.) 7; Grand Canyon (Ariz.) 6; South Carolina-Aiken 5; Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) 4; Rollins (Fla.) 4; Central Oklahoma 3; New Haven (Conn.) 3; Lewis (Ill.) 2; CW Post-LIU (N.Y.) 1; Northern Kentucky 1; Southeastern Oklahoma State 1.