Oklahoma City – After finishing in a tie for second place in the regular season last year, Mid-America Christian has been tabbed as the preseason favorite for the Sooner Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball title as voted on by the league’s coaches.
The Evangels earned 113 points and eight first-place votes to earn the top slot after falling in the conference quarterfinal final last season to finish the season with an overall record of 23-7 and 17-5 in league play. Mid-America is looking to head back to the NAIA National Tournament for the fourth consecutive season.
Science & Arts grabbed the second spot in the preseason poll with 104 points and a first-place vote. The Drovers joined Mid-America Christian in a tie for second place during the regular season with a 17-5 conference record and an overall mark of 23-7 before falling in the quarterfinals to eventual tournament champions Southwestern Christian 67-62. Science & Arts will look to make their third straight NAIA Tournament appearance.
Wayland Baptist is slotted into the third slot in the preseason poll with 95 points after finishing third in the regular season last year with a 15-7 league record and an overall mark of 21-11. The Queens advanced to the SAC tournament final before falling to Southwestern Christian 70-60 and will look to make their 11
th consecutive NAIA Tournament.
John Brown was voted into the fourth position with 91 points and two first-place votes after finishing the season fourth in conference action with a record of 14-8 and an overall record of 21-10. The Golden Eagles fell to Wayland in the conference quarterfinals by a score of 67-57 and will look to join the NAIA Tournament field for the second straight year.
Defending regular-season champion Texas Wesleyan finds themselves in the fifth spot with 78 points after a conference-best record of 19-3 and finished the year with an overall mark of 27-6. The Rams fell in the conference semifinals last year to Wayland Baptist 86-84 and will try to advance to the NAIA Tournament for the third consecutive season.
The full poll is listed below.
- Mid-America Christian 113 (8)
- Science & Arts 104 (1)
- Wayland Baptist 95
- John Brown 91 (2)
- Texas Wesleyan 78
- Langston 75
- Southwestern Christian 69
- Oklahoma City 61 (1)
- UNT - Dallas 38
- SAGU 30
- Panhandle State 29
- Central Christian 11