ASHLAND — Ashland University’s women’s basketball team is ranked No. 5 in the 2016-17 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) NCAA Division II Preseason Top 25 Coaches’ Poll, released on Tuesday(Nov. 1) morning.
This marks the fourth time in five seasons the Eagle women, who received a first-place vote, have been nationally ranked in the preseason, and it is the program’s second-highest preseason ranking, behind the No. 1 spot to start the 2012-13 season.
The preseason ranking is the 53rd time Ashland has appeared in the WBCA Top 25 poll, the 37th time the Eagles have been in the Top 10 and the 30th time they have been in the Top 5. It is the 18th straight poll in which AU has appeared.
Ashland is one of two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference teams in the WBCA preseason poll, along with Grand Valley State (No. 13).
On Oct. 26, the Eagles were picked to win their sixth GLIAC South Division championship in seven seasons in the conference’s 2016-17 preseason poll.
In 2015-16, Ashland finished 31-2 overall, and won the GLIAC Tournament, regular-season and South Division titles. The program’s 144 victories in the last five seasons are the most in NCAA Division II women’s basketball over that span.
Ashland will play an exhibition game at Ohio State on Sunday (Nov. 6) at 1 p.m. before beginning the 2016-17 campaign at home in the GLIAC/Great Midwest Athletic Conference Exempt Tournament against Cedarville on Nov. 11 at 11 a.m.
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