HPUlogoThe USAToday/ESPN Pre-season Coaches Poll was announced today and the Howard Payne Lady Jacket basketball team was pre-season picked #15 in the nation.

Three-time defending ASC champion Howard Payne (23-6, 16-5 ASC in 2008-09) have won four of the last five conference titles and claimed the NCAA III national championship in 2008. 

The Lady Jackets return six for last season’s team and have eight in this year’s recruiting class.

Preseason Poll: November 4, 2009

USA TODAY ESPN Top 25 women’s basketball poll, with first-place votes noted on the right, total points based on 25 points for first place through one point for 25th.

 

Rank

Institution – First Place Votes

Last Year’s
Final Rank

Last Year’s
Final Record

Points

1.

Washington University (Mo.) – 3

2

26-5

167

2.

Hope College (Mich.) – 2

5

28-2

163

3.

Amherst College (Mass.)

6

29-3

159

4.

University of Scranton (Pa.)

t8

26-5

146

5.

George Fox University (Ore.) – 2

1

32-0

144

6.

Illinois Wesleyan University

3

30-1

119

7.

DePauw University (Ind.)

24

22-5

106

8.

Bowdoin College (Maine)

21

25-5

101

9.

Brandeis University (Mass.)

11

20-8

99

10.

Muhlenberg College (Pa.)

t15

26-4

91

11.

Kean University (N.J.)

25

22-7

88

12.

University of Southern Maine

NR

22-7

82

13.

University of Wisconsin, Whitewater

18

23-5

78

14.

Capital University (Ohio)

NR

22-6

66

15.

Howard Payne University (Texas)

NR

23-6

64

16.

University of Chicago (Ill.)

NR

17-8

59

17.

Trinity University (Texas)

NR

20-8

51

18.

University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point

7

26-4

48

19.

Marymount University (Va.)

NR

20-7

47

20.

Moravian College (Pa.)

NR

21-7

46

21.

University of Texas – Dallas

NR

21-5

40

t22.

College of St. Benedict (Minn.)

17

26-4

30

t22.

New York University

14

23-5

30

24.

Hardin-Simmons University (Texas)

NR

22-6

26

25.

Simpson College (Iowa)

22

24-4

25

Others Receiving Votes: The College of New Jersey – 23; Randolph-Macon College (Va.) – 21; DeSales University (Pa.) – 18; University of Puget Sound (Wash.) – 16; William Paterson University (N.J.) – 16; Thomas More College (Ky.) – 15; Keene State College (N.H.) – 14; University of Wisconsin, Stout – 13; Tufts University (Mass.) – 12; University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire – 9; Baldwin-Wallace College (Ohio) – 8; University of Mary Washington (Va.) – 8; University of Rochester (N.Y.) – 7; Calvin College (Mich.) – 6; Whitman College (Wash.) – 6; Christopher Newport University (Va.) – 3; University of Pittsburgh Greensburg (Pa.) – 2; Messiah College (Pa.) – 1; State University of New York at Cortland – 1; Washington & Jefferson College (Pa.) – 1.