Coker women picked seventh

HIGH POINT, N.C. — Barton College has been voted by Conference Carolinas head coaches as this year’s preseason league favorite, while Coker College was picked seventh.

Barton has played in three of the last six NCAA Division II tournaments.

“Nobody knows what you have,” coach Wendee Saintsing said. “It (preseason poll) is really based on last year, so you can’t put a lot of weight in preseason polls. We’re young and talented, so I think that success will come when we are able to gel and get everybody thinking and doing the same thing. It’s just a matter of how long that will take.”

Mount Olive College places second in this year’s preseason poll as they return three starters from last year’s squad, which eclipsed the 20-win mark for the second straight year and made their second consecutive appearance in the Conference Carolinas Tournament championship game.

Anderson was picked third, followed by Belmont Abbey, Queens, Erskine, Coker, Limestone, Pfeiffer, Lees-McRae, Converse and St. Andrews.