W&J women picked to win PAC

Washington & Jefferson, with three returning starters from last year's NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament team, has been picked to finish first in the Presidents' Athletic Conference preseason poll of coaches, sports information directors and media.

W&J received 14 of 22 first-place votes and 179 points to edge defending PAC champion Thomas More by a single point. Thomas More, which won two games in the NCAA tournament last year, returns only one starter. The Saints received 10 first-place votes. No team other than W&J and Thomas More received a first-place vote.

"It is truly an honor to receive this type of recognition, especially in a conference as competitive as the PAC," said W&J coach Jina DeRubbo. "While the
honor of being picked first is great, we will still need to show up week in and week out in conference play."

Defending PAC champion Thomas More was picked to repeat as the men's champion. The Saints received 15 first-place votes and 147 points to edge W&J and Bethany. The Presidents received five first-place votes and Bethany had three. The other first-place vote went to Grove City.

The polls:
Men
1. Thomas More (15) 147 points
2. Washington & Jefferson (4) 115
3. Bethany (3) 112
4. Grove City (1) 89
5. Westminster 88
6. Thiel 56
7. Waynesburg 37

Women
1. Washington & Jefferson (14) 179 points
2. Thomas More (10) 178
3. Grove City 117
4. Westminster 96.5
5. Bethany 95
6. Waynesburg 91
7. Chatham 59.5
8. Thiel 48