Eastern Michigan Athletics
Women’s Basketball Preseason Favorite to Win the MAC West
10/24/2006 9:10:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Bowling Green and Eastern Michigan tabbed in top spots second year in a row
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Eastern Michigan University’s women’s basketball team has been picked to repeat as the Mid-American Conference’s West Division champions by the voting members of the MAC News Media Association. The announcement was made in Cleveland today as part of the conference’s women’s basketball Media Day.
The Green and White received 21 of 41 first-place votes in garnering 214 total points. Western Michigan University was picked to finish second with 188. Rounding out the West Division were Ball State University (157 points), Northern Illinois University (142), the University of Toledo (94) and Central Michigan University (66). Bowling Green State University was tabbed as the preseason favorite in the East with 245 points.
Bowling Green also was selected to win the 2007 MAC Women’s Basketball Tournament, which takes place at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena, March 4 to March 10, earning 35 votes to repeat as the tournament champion. Kent State and Western Michigan picked up two votes to be the tournament champion, while Toledo garnered a vote to earn the league’s lone automatic NCAA berth.
The selection marks the third consecutive year that the Eagles have been tabbed as the preseason favorite to capture the West Division crown. With the honor Eastern becomes just the second team since the league switched to the divisional format in 1997-98 to be named the West Division favorite in three straight seasons. The University of Toledo did so from 1997-98 to 1999-2000, while Kent State holds the league record for most consecutive preseason nods with seven from 1997-98 to 2003-04.
This comes off a 2005-06 season that saw the Eagles post a 22-8 overall record and a school-record 15--1 MAC mark. The Green and White’s 22 wins were the second most in program history and marked EMU’s third straight 20-win season. The Eagles also made their third consecutive national postseason tournament appearance, with a berth in the 2006 Postseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).
Eastern returns three starters to this season’s lineup with junior guard Patrice McKinney, a 2006 Preseason All-MAC pick, senior forward Sarah VanMetre and sophomore guard Kendra Gallert. Senior Annie Malatinsky and juniors Canea Williams, Colleen Russell and Kivilcim Yamanoglu will be joined by five newcomers to the Eagles’ lineup this season.
EMU opens the 2006-07 campaign when it hosts the University of New Orleans in the Eagle Classic, Nov. 17, at the Convocation Center.
2006-07 Preseason Mid-American Conference Poll (2005-06 Results Listed)
West Division Points Overall MAC Regular Season Finish Tournament
1. Eastern Michigan (21) 214 22-8 15-1 1st Semifinals
2. Western Michigan (8) 188 14-14 11-5 2nd Quarterfinals
3. Ball State (6) 157 17-12 9-7 3rd Quarterfinals
4. Northern Illinois (6) 142 12-16 7-9 t-4th Quarterfinals
5. Toledo 94 11-17 4-12 6th First Round
6. Central Michigan 66 16-12 7-9 t-4th Semifinals
East Division Points Overall MAC Regular Season Finish Tournament
1. Bowling Green (40) 245 28-3 16-0 1st Champion
2. Kent State (1) 193 21-9 12-4 2nd Finals
3. Miami 136 8-20 3-13 5th First Round
4. Ohio 115 9-20 5-11 t-3rd Quarterfinals
5. Buffalo 112 10-18 5-11 t-3rd First Round
6. Akron 60 5-23 2-14 6th First Round
Tournament Champion Votes:
Bowling Green 35
Kent State 2
Western Michigan 2
Toledo 1
Points are poll point totals with first-place votes in parentheses.
