Eureka Women's Basketball Chosen as Pre-Season Favorite in SLIAC

ST. LOUIS - Eureka College's women's basketball squad has been chosen as the pre-season favorite by the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) coaches. The Red Devils received two first place votes and totaled 65 points in the SLIAC Pre-Season Coaches Poll.

Eureka posted a 21-5 overall record and went 13-3 in conference play last season. The Red Devils will look to junior Caty Eeten, the 2011-12 SLIAC Women's Basketball Player of the Year, to lead them to their first SLIAC Championship. Eeten, who was named a 2012-13 D3hoops.com Pre-Season All-American, averaged 22.8 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game and finished the season with 103 assists and 44 steals. She also shot an impressive 83.0 percent (190-of-229) from the free throw line and hit 49.7 percent from the field. Senior Jaylnne Stewart transferred at semester last year form Illinois State and will look to make more of an impact for Eureka in 2012-13. In 21 games played last year she averaged 8.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

Westminster College (Mo.) grabbed four first place votes and 62 points in the coaches' poll to rank second. In 2011-2 the Blue Jays posted a 14-2 record in SLIAC play (22-5 overall), captured their second consecutive regular season conference championship and won their first SLIAC Tournament Championship. Head coach Tracey Braden graduated a core group of players and will be looking for seniors Kenna Cornelson and Hannah Kloster to provide leadership on the court. Cornelson averaged 8.9 points per game last year, while Kloster had 9.4 points per game, a .420 field goal percentage and a .780 free throw percentage. Junior guard Leigh Ann Lutz also returns after earning Second Team All-SLIAC honors last year and averaging 11.9 points per game and ranking second on the squad with 2.4 assists per game.

Spalding University ranked third in the poll with 61 total points and one first place vote. The Golden Eagles finished 10-6 in the SLIAC last season and will be eligible for post-season play in 2012-13 for the first time. Senior forward Kelly Harrod returns to Spalding's lineup this season after sitting out in 2011-12 due to medical hardship. She has 1,032 career points and was First Team All-SLIAC as a junior in 2010-11. Junior guard Kerstin Hayes, who was named First Team All-SLIAC last season, as well as All-Defensive Team, brings back a .454 three-point field goal percentage, which ranked first in the conference overall, along with 12.7 points per game, 84 assists and 50 steals.

Fontbonne University and Webster University tied for fourth in the pre-season poll with 49 points each. Fontbonne also received two first place votes and will look to seniors Hillary Johnson (8.3 ppg, 2.5 apg) and Allison Hogan (9.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg) to lead the squad this season. Also returning for the Griffins is junior forward Chelsea Freymuth, who earned Second Team All-SLIAC last season and averaged 11.0 points per game and had a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game.

Webster returns the 2011-12 Newcomer of the Year in sophomore forward Cassie Endicott. She was named to the All-Defensive Team and Honorable Mention All-SLIAC as a freshman after recording 8.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, as well as 52 blocks, an .812 free throw percentage and .528 field goal percentage.

Greenville College and MacMurray College received 40 and 30 points respectively to rank sixth and seventh in the coaches' poll. Greenville head coach Roy Mulholland returns a veteran squad that includes 2011-12 Honorable Mention All-SLIAC honorees Ieisha Adams (11.0 ppg, 3.5 apg) and Laura Hobbie (10.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg). Senior center Katelyn Wise also returns and was the Panthers' leading scorer last year with 11.7 points per game. MacMurray also has a wealth of experience returning with six seniors and a junior transfer from Black Hawk East CC. Senior forward Amy Radford was the team MVP for the Highlanders last season and averaged 8.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Senior guards Whittney Wade (9.8 ppg, 2.0 apg) and Kelsey Anderson (7.9 ppg, .900 FT%) also return for MacMurray and will provide the leadership they need on and off the court.

Rounding out the coaches' pre-season poll were Blackburn College (21 points) and Principia College (19 points) in eighth and ninth respectively. Blackburn returns their leading scorer and rebounder in sophomore Briana Rae. Senior Sarah Corbitt (12.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 65 assists) is one of the top returners for Principia and earned Honorable Mention All-SLIAC last season, along with All-Defensive team honors.

2012-13 SLIAC Women's Basketball
Pre-Season Coaches' Poll
1 - Eureka (2)
2 - Westminster (4)
3 - Spalding (1)
4 - Fontbonne (2)
     Webster
6 - Greenville
7 - MacMurray
8 - Blackburn
9 - Principia