WBCA Preseason Top 25 Poll
INDIANAPOLIS – Great Midwest Athletic Conference newcomer Ashland made an early splash for the upcoming season by securing a top 10 ranking by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) in the organization’s preseason poll.
The top 25 teams in Division II were ranked by the WBCA in anticipation of the new year tipping off in a few weeks.
The Eagles ended the 2020-21 campaign ranked No. 20 in the WBCA Poll following a 19-6 overall record, their final year as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Ashland made it all the way to the 2021 Midwest Region Championship final as part of March Madness earlier in the calendar year. The Eagles were seeded fifth and knocked off No. 4 seed Grand Valley State in the opening round before eliminating No. 1 seed Michigan Tech in the region semifinals.
Drury was the No. 2 seed and hosted the Midwest Regional in St. Louis, Mo., Ashland’s final opponent of a successful 2020-21 season.
Ashland was recently picked as a very close runner-up in the Great Midwest Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour with Walsh earning the majority vote by a slim margin.
Three different players with all-conference honors in the GLIAC return to the Ashland roster for 2021-22 including a talented trio of upperclassman with Karlee Pireu, Annie Roshak and Hallie Heidemann. AU is coached by Kari Pickens.
Pireu averaged 18.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, Roshak posted a 21.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game average and Heidemann balanced out the box scores with 12.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 3.5 apg.
Over the last decade, the Eagles are 293-36 (.891), won two NCAA Division II national titles, have been national runner-up twice, had two undefeated seasons, won a D-II-record 73 games in a row, have had six 30-win seasons, made the NCAA postseason nine times, and are 158-11 (.935) at the Sherrill Hudson Court in Kates Gymnasium.
Great Midwest preseason favorite Walsh is in the receiving votes category after advancing to the second round of the NCAA Atlantic Regional in 2020-21. The Cavaliers defeated conference member Cedarville in the first round to advance and face No. 1 Charleston.