[Release from Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference]

SEE FULL RELEASE HERE

The Mount Mary University basketball team was tabbed for seventh in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll, the league announced Wednesday.

Defending 2019-20 Capital Athletic Conference champion Christopher Newport University was tabbed as the preseason favorite. The Captains, third-round qualifiers in the COVID-shortened 2020 NCAA Division III Tournament, received five first-places votes and totaled 35 points to land atop the preseason rankings in a vote among the conference head coaches. 

Salisbury earned second place in the rankings as the Sea Gulls compiled 27 points. UC Santa Cruz, with 25 points, edged out Mary Washington's 24 points for third place as both programs earned one first-place vote. 

Finlandia claimed fifth place with 19 points, followed by Pratt in sixth place with 10 points, three better than MMU's seven points.

The 2021-22 campaign kicked off last week and the teams are underway. The C2C Championship tournament will take place February 24-26, 2022 at UC Santa Cruz's Kaiser Permanente Arena. 

Below is a brief preview of each team entering the 2021-22 campaign: 

#1 Christopher Newport is ranked No. 20 in the nation heading into the 2021-22 campaign after another successful campaign in 2019-20. The Captains reached the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 for the fifth consecutive season, joining Amherst and Tufts as the only teams in the nation to advance that far in each of the last five years. Led by Preseason All-American Sondra Fan, the Captains feature a deep core of veteran talent that includes six seniors and three juniors. Fan led the team in scoring and steals as a sophomore and is joined by fellow All-Conference returner Natalie Terwilliger and Region Rookie of the Year Anaya Simmons. CNU is riding a 17-game winning streak heading into the season and has won three of the last four conference championships. 

#2 Salisbury women's basketball enters the 2021-22 season riding high after going an undefeated 6-0 during the 2020-21 campaign. Senior forward Kaylee Otlowski averaged 15.0 points and 12.8 rebounds per game on the way to becoming the Sea Gulls' first WBCA First-Team All-American since 2002-03. Senior guard Lauren Fortescue followed close behind with 12.3 points per game. Otlowski and Fortescue are among four returning Salisbury starters, putting the Sea Gulls in prime position to make their first NCAA Tournament since 2015.

Entering year 13 of #3 UC Santa Cruz head coach Todd Kent's tenure, All-Region forward Kaylee Murphy, sharp-shooting Ashley Kowack, wing Amanda Inserra and point guard Aubrey Wagner provide an experienced core for the Banana Slugs, who have eight eager first-year players on the squad. Junior college teammates Penelopi Trieu and Tess Oakley-Stillson also expected to have huge debut seasons. Coach Kent- "It was great getting back onto the court this past weekend.  Saw a lot of positive things to build on and excited about the opportunities to grow."

#4 Mary Washington 20th year head coach Deena Applebury will look to a solid senior class after a one-year hiatus caused by COVID-19. Forward Tory Martin heads a class that will look to again challenge for the league title and gain the Eagles' 17th consecutive winning season. Martin, a 2020 first team all-conference selection, Averaged 12.0 PPG on 46.3% shooting from the field and 77.2% shooting from the free throw line, and averaged 5.2 RPG and 1.4 APG in 19-20. Classmates Thora Gibbs, Bri Harper, and Emily Shively will bring experience that features nine new players from two seasons ago.

#5 Finlandia returns nine of 11 players including all five starters from a squad that went 5-1 in a Covid shortened season.  Eight of those players have helped the Lions go 21-12 and win an ACAA Championship (2019-20) over the last two seasons. Top on the list of returners are seniors Katie Lundeen and Carsyn Osterman.  Lundeen was All-ACAA 1st team in 2019-20 and Osterman was All-ACAA 2nd team and ACAA Tournament MVP.

The #6 Pratt women's basketball team returns five players from the 2019-20 season where it won seven games.  Two starters including defensive standout Sophie Bischoff returns and with the addition of 10 newcomers the Cannoneers will look to compete in the C2C.

The 2021-22 season brings a fresh start for #7 Mount Mary in nearly all facets of the program after an 18-month hiatus. The Blue Angels welcome Joshua Steffen as its new head coach. Additionally, a pair of transfer guards will look to make an immediate impact on a roster that returns less than four minutes of game experience from the 2019-20 season