INDIANAPOLIS - The Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) has released the 2019-20 Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour, and Tiffin has been chosen by the coaches to finish ninth.
Walsh took the top spot to earn the sweep of both the men's and women's basketball polls, receiving 143 points and 11 of 13 first-place votes. Kentucky Wesleyan garned the other two first-place nods along with 127 points to finish second in the poll, and Cedarville (124), Findlay (101), and Hillsdale (98) round out the top five.
The Dragons received 56 points to finish ninth, eight behind Trevecca Nazarene (64) and two above Ursuline (52).
In 2018-19, Tiffin went on a late run and finished just outside of the playoff picture in a tie for ninth-place with Lake Erie at 8-14 in conference play (11-17 overall). The Dragons won each of their last four GMAC contests a year ago, and will look to ride that momentum into the new season.
Five players return from last years' team, with three of them playing significant minutes for the Dragons a year ago. Junior guard Jensen Hiegel (8.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg) returns as one of just three upperclassmen, while sophomores Aarion Nichols (9.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.5 spg) and Jasmine Watts (7.5 ppg, 66.9 FG%, 5.8 rpg, 1.6 bpg) are looking to build upon impressive freshman campaigns. Junior Brooke Wesner and sophomore Tanner Wirth also both return after missing the majority or all of the 2018-19 season due to injury.
Tiffin will be very young, as second-year head coach Jessie Ivey also brings in eight freshmen along with one junior transfer.
The Dragons will play a pair of exhibition games to begin the year at Division I members Toledo (10/27) and Akron (11/3), with the regular season getting underway on Nov. 8 and 9 as they face Illinois-Springfield and McKendree in Springfield, Ill. at the GMAC-GLVC Crossover. TU's home opener follows on Nov. 12 against Mount Vernon Nazarene, and GMAC play will start on Dec. 5 with a road contest at Trevecca Nazarene.
2019-20 GMAC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
- Walsh - 143 Points (11 1st-place votes)
- Kentucky Wesleyan - 127 Points (2 1st-place votes)
- Cedarville - 124 Points
- Findlay - 101 Points
- Hillsdale - 98 Points
- Ohio Dominican - 91 Points
- Malone - 85 Points
- Trevecca Nazarene - 64 Points
- Tiffin - 56 Points
- Ursuline - 54 Points
- Lake Erie - 32 Points
- Alderson Broaddus - 27 Points
- Ohio Valley - 12 Points