Senior Kelsey Simonds, a two-time honorable mention All-American heads a list of four returning starters for Stonehill, picked preseason favorites in the NE-10. |
Stonehill Tabbed Preseason
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in NE-10 Women's Basketball Poll
Regional finalists return four starters from 22-9 campaign in 2008-09
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Complete Women's Basketball NE-10 Preseason Poll
EASTON, Mass. (October 29, 2009) - The Stonehill College women's basketball team has been tabbed the preseason favorites according to the Northeast-10 Conference's preseason coaches' poll. Overall, the Skyhawks received 11 of 16 first place votes for 219 points.
Stonehill finished ahead of Bentley University (206 points) with two first place votes, while 2009 NCAA Division II finalist Franklin Pierce University (201) was picked third and received the remaining three first place votes. Pace University (172) and Assumption College (163) round out the preseason top five.
Stonehill returns four starters and 11 letterwinners from last year's squad which posted a 22-9 record overall, advancing to the NCAA Division II Tournament East Regional Championship before falling to Franklin Pierce. The Skyhawks finished second in the NE-10 standings with a 15-7 Conference mark.
Heading the list of returnees for Stonehill is senior co-captain Kelsey Simonds (Middleboro, Mass./Cardinal Spellman), a two-time State Farm/WBCA Division II honorable mention All-American, who averaged 15.2 points and 8.6 rebounds in 25 games last season. Junior Emily Rousseau (Biddeford, Maine/Biddeford) started all 31 games for the Skyhawks in her first season after transferring from the University of Maine and averaged 14 points, 4.5 assists and 1.4 steals.
Other key returnees include senior co-captain Megan Methven (Corning, N.Y./Corning East) and junior Kristen McWhirter (Melvin Village, N.H./New Hampton Prep). Methven contributed 8.6 points in 24.2 minutes per game primarily off the bench last year, while McWhirter starter all 31 and added 11.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.
Head coach Trisha Brown is entering her ninth season in charge at Stonehill. The 2007-08 Northeast-10 Coach of the Year has posted a 167-74 (.241) career record in that time, leading the Skyhawks to the NCAA Tournament six times and the NE-10 regular season and tournament titles in 2007-08.
Stonehill, ranked sixth in the Division II Bulletin Preseason Top 25 poll, opens its season next weekend when it participates in the Disney Division II East Coast Tip-Off Classic in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The Skyhawks open against Shippensburg University on Friday, November 6, at 2:30 p.m.
