Wednesday, October 13, 2010

MACON, Ga. – The Atlantic Sun Conference released its women's basketball preseason coaches’ poll, all-conference team and media poll  on Wednesday with FGCU topping both polls, while ETSU earned the most votes to win a fourth straight General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Basketball Championship. USC Upstate’s senior center Chelsea McMillan claimed seven first-place votes from the league coaches for the Preseason Player of the Year award.

The Eagles, who went 17-3 last season in league games, received seven of the 11 first-place votes from the conference coaches and 14 of the 23 in the media poll. Senior guard Shannon Murphy netted all-conference honors as the lone representative for FGCU as she was one of five unanimous choices to the all-conference team.

After making their third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, ETSU picked up two first-place votes from the coaches to edge out USC Upstate by one point for second on the list. Lady Bucs’ senior guard Tara Davis received preseason all-conference honors as a unanimous choice after averaging 11.1 points and 3.5 assists last season.

McMillan and the Spartans slotted third in the coaches’ poll with the final two first-place votes, while earning a tie in the media poll with ETSU for second. McMillan, a 2010 First Team A-Sun member, averaged a double-double last season with 14.2 points and 10.8 rebounds. Tee’Ara Copney, the 2010 A-Sun Freshman of the Year, joined her teammate on the all-conference team after producing 11.6 points and 2.3 steals per game.

UNF garnered fourth place in the coaches poll and fifth in the media poll after falling in the A-Sun Championship game last season by one point. Junior guard Brittany Kirkland represents the Ospreys on the preseason team as an unanimous choice and returns as the top scorer in the conference after averaging 14.5 points per game.

Picked fourth in the media poll and tied for fifth in the coaches, Belmont placed one player on the all-conference team as an unanimous choice, Haley Nelson. A junior, Nelson led the Bruins in scoring last season and averaged a double-double at 13.2 points and 10.3 boards per game. Alongside Belmont, Campbell also gathered 71 points in the coaches poll, while taking sixth in the media rankings. Tonisha Baker, a 2009 A-Sun Freshman Team member, appeared on the all-conference team as the lone representative for the Camels.

Jacksonville, Kennesaw State and Mercer took seventh through ninth in the coaches poll, while the Owls’ sophomore forward Sametria Gideon picked up an all-conference nod. The Madison, Ala. native started in 15 games in her first season en route to the A-Sun All-Freshman team. In the media poll, Kennesaw State jumped to seventh followed by the Bears and Dolphins.

Rounding out the polls, Stetson and Lipscomb took 10th and 11th place in both polls, but both teams put one player on the all-conference team. The Hatters’ Jessica Conner produced 12 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in conference play, while the Lady Bisons’ senior guard Jenna Bartsokas led the team in scoring, assists and steals.

The women's basketball season begins on November 12th and concludes in Macon, Ga., as Mercer hosts the Atlantic Sun Championship for the second-consecutive season from March 2-5.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and 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.