- Rams return junior Tyra Harrison who led the Skyline in scoring in 2015-16 -
New York, N.Y. - The Skyline Conference women's basketball head coaches have cast their votes for the 2016-17 preseason poll and head coach Allison Coleman's Gators of The Sage Colleges have been tabbed as favorites to hoist the championship hardware this season.
Sage (21-6, 15-1 Skyline in '15-16) captured the regular-season title last winter, and earned five out of a possible 10 first-place votes (coaches are not permitted to vote for their own institution) en route to a total of 74 voting points. First-team all-conference selection, junior Genevieve Schoff (15.5 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 1.4 bpg) headlines a list of returners for the Gators.
2015-16 Skyline Conference Championship winners, SUNY Old Westbury (23-6, 13-3) rank second in the poll (72 pts., 3 first-place votes), and return guard and reigning conference Defensive Player of the Year, Jasmine Robinson (15.9 ppg, 3.9 spg) for her senior campaign.
College of Mount Saint Vincent (67) and Farmingdale State College (56) each received one first-place vote, and rank third and fourth in the tally, respectively. They are followed in the poll by: Mount Saint Mary College (54); St. Joseph's College-Brookyn (39); St. Joseph's College-Long Island (29); U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (26); Purchase College, SUNY (22); and Yeshiva University (11).
The six-team, 2016-17 Skyline Conference Women's Basketball Championship gets underway with first-round action on Tuesday, Feb. 21, with semifinal and final action taking place on Feb. 23 and 25, respectively. Higher seeds host throughout the championship, with the winner securing the Skyline's automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship.
2016-17 Skyline Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
Team (2015-16 record, Skyline record) Pts. (first-place votes)
1. Sage (21-6, 15-1) 74 (5)
2. Old Westbury (23-6, 13-3) 72 (3)
3. Mount Saint Vincent (17-9, 13-3) 67 (1)
4. Farmingdale State (9-17, 8-8) 56 (1)
5. Mount Saint Mary (14-13, 10-6) 54
6. St. Joseph's-Brooklyn (7-19, 6-10) 39
7. St. Joseph's-Long Island (7-18, 4-12) 29
8. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (9-16, 2-14 Landmark) 26
9. Purchase (3-22, 3-13) 22
10. Yeshiva (1-21, 0-16) 11
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