Thursday, August 14, 2008

MACON, Ga. - Florida Gulf Coast dominated the Atlantic Sun in its first season as a Division I institution in 2007, and the league’s coaches picked the Eagles to repeat that feat in 2008 by a nearly unanimous vote, the conference office announced on Thursday.

The Eagles received nine of 11 possible first-place votes in the poll, followed by last year’s tournament champion Lipscomb and 2006 tournament champion Belmont.

“We are honored and excited to defend our title,” said Florida Gulf Coast head coach Dave Nichols. “It certainly helps to have players like Roberta Santos and Ana Kokanovic to anchor our new starters, and we hope their experience can help lead us to another conference championship.”

Florida Gulf Coast was one of three schools to place multiple players on the preseason All-Conference team, as Emily Cahill and Cat Mundy of Belmont and Jacksonville’s Sara Bendorf and Shelley Walroth joined Kokanovic and Santos on the squad. 2007 A-Sun Tournament MVP Jake Pease of Lipscomb rounded out the team.

Mundy, a 2007 First-Team All-Conference performer, added to her preseason accolades as the coaches’ choice for Preseason Player of the Year.

"It is a big honor,” said Mundy. “I can't believe it because there are so many great players in our conference. We are so competitive each year and it keeps getting more competitive. I'm really excited about it because I know we have a great team this year. We are going to be really deep this season with 14 girls – that's the most we've ever had on a team. Although we are really young, I think that (our underclassmen) are very strong and experienced and have a lot of new, fresh talent. So I think that is going to be very helpful for us. It's all based on my team; I can't do anything without them."

Bendorf, one of two unanimous selections along with Mundy, and Walroth will lead the Dolphins in 2008. Jacksonville, picked fourth in the poll, reached the finals of the last two A-Sun Championships.

The 2006 regular season champion ETSU Buccaneers placed fifth in the poll, followed by Mercer, UNF, Stetson, Campbell, USC Upstate and Kennesaw State.

Mercer’s University Center will play host to the conference championship for the second consecutive season on November 20-22. The previous two tournament winners, Belmont and Lipscomb, each received four votes from the coaches to split the preseason tournament champion prediction.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life, with a focus on academic and athletic integrity and a balance between the two for the student-athlete, and maintaining a high level of sportsmanship. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun encompasses six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun consists of some of the most dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Tournament Champion: Belmont and Lipscomb each received four (4) votes

  Preseason Player of the Year: Cat Mundy, Outside Hitter, Belmont