View Preview on WIACSports.com

MADISON, Wis. (Blugolds.com) - University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, the defending league champion, is the preseason favorite to secure the 2012 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) women’s basketball title, according to the conference’s sports information directors.

UW-Stevens Point, ranked No. 11 nationally in a preseason poll conducted by D3hoops.com, received six first-place votes in the league predictions and owns five WIAC titles. A year ago, the Pointers became just the sixth team in conference history, and first since 2003, to go 16-0 in the regular season. UW-Stevens Point ranked second in the NCAA Division III in field goal percentage (.468) and fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2).

The Pointers return a pair of senior starters in Cassie Bandow and Ashley Averkamp. Bandow was seventh in the WIAC in with a 36.3 three-point field goal percentage, while Averkamp was second on the team with 10.3 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per contest. Head coach Shirley Egner begins her 23rd year with 409 career victories, just five wins behind current UW-Stout head coach Mark Thomas for the top spot in league listings.

UW-Whitewater, ranked No. 21 by D3hoops.com, captured a pair of first-place nods in the WIAC poll and is expected to finish second in the nine-team derby. The Warhawks have secured five conference championships in program history and return three starters from a year ago. UW-Whitewater has won 20-plus games four consecutive seasons and posted a winning streak of at least 10 contests in three of the last four years. Sophomore Kaitlyn Thill established a school single-season record with 112 steals during the 2010-11 campaign.

UW-River Falls secured the remaining first-place vote and is pegged for third in the league race. The Falcons own a pair of WIAC crowns - with the most recent in 1989 - and return all five starters from a season ago. The five starters accounted for 74.6 percent of the team’s points and 73.0 percent of the team’s rebounds. Senior Tiffany Gregorich, the team’s leading scorer in 2011-12 at 13.9 points per contest, needs 71 points to reach 1,000 in her career. Senior Maranda Dohrn has 623 career rebounds and should reach the top five on the school career chart. UW-River Falls plays three of its first 10 games at Karges Center, but will be at home for five of its final seven contests.

UW-Eau Claire’s returnees accounted for 1,134 points (70 percent) and 656 rebounds (64 percent) last year. Among the returners are four starters, including seniors Nicole Christianson and Ellen Plendl. Christianson had a team-high 105 assists and 48 steals last season, while Plendl was second on the squad with 6.6 rebounds per game. The Blugolds have earned four wins in their last six games against NCAA Division II opponents and will travel to Minnesota State-Mankato this season.

UW-La Crosse must replace all five starters from last year’s club that posted the first 20-win season (22-7) and earned the first NCAA postseason bid since 1987-88. The Eagles were 12-4 in conference play in 2010-11, tying the school record for WIAC victories. Senior Kassie Robinson played in all 28 games and returns as the team’s leader with 7.0 points per contest and 3.1 rebounds per game. UW-La Crosse will play its first four games on the road, but seven of their next eight at home. Tina Kuhle, who served as UW-Platteville’s head coach from 2005-10, is one of the Eagles’ assistant coaches.

UW-Stout’s 2011-12 roster features no seniors, but does feature three of the top-five scorers from the 2010-11 campaign. Sophomore Sami Schoeder is the leading returning scorer with 11.0 points per contest. Since the 2000-01 season, the Blue Devils are 111-27 at Johnson Fieldhouse. Head coach Mark Thomas begins his 25th season at the helm of the program, having coached 641 games - a total that represents 73 percent of all UW-Stout women’s basketball games.

UW-Oshkosh’s 12-win campaign last year was the best since posting 19 victories and sharing the conference title in 2006. The Titans led the NCAA Division III in free throw shooting a season ago at 78.6 percent. Junior Katie Kitzke is the leading returning scorer at 8.9 points per game and started all 27 games in 2010-11, while senior Kelsey Myklebust is the top returning rebounder at 3.7 per contest. UW-Oshkosh has finished in third place or higher in the league standings in 17 of the last 22 seasons.

UW-Superior returns four starters, including seniors Hailey Hart and Bri Davis who could each eclipse the 1,000-point mark in career scoring. Hart needs 217 points, while Davis needs 289, and both individuals are poised to crack the top 10 on the school’s all-time scoring and rebounding charts. Junior Connie Urmanski is the school’s all-time leader in three-pointers attempted (150) and made (105). Among the newcomers is Mariah Marcol, daughter of former Green Bay Packers placekicker Chester Marcol.

UW-Platteville welcomes back three starters, including junior Claire Poad who is the leading returning scorer at 8.8 points per contest. Junior Ashley Henry had seven double-double performances to lead the Pioneers a year ago. Junior Colleen Lowe and senior Jordan Johnson are also members of the UW-Platteville softball team with Lowe receiving honorable mention laurels in 2011. The Pioneers will play five of their first seven WIAC contests at home.

2011-12 Preseason Predictions--Voted on by WIAC Sports Information Directors

Team Nuggets

UW-Eau Claire
Head Coach: Tonja Englund; 12th season at UWEC; 215-95
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 10/6
Starters Returning/Lost: 4/1
Returning All-WIAC: Nicole Christianson, Sr., G (2011-Honorable); Ellen Plendl, Sr., C (2010-Honorable, 2011-Defensive)

UW-La Crosse
Head Coach: Lois Heeren; 19th season (13th at UWL); 207-257 (overall) / 155-155 (at UWL)
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 8/6
Starters Returning/Lost: 0/5
Returning All-WIAC: None

UW-Oshkosh
Head Coach: Terri Schumacher; 7th season at UWO; 64-86
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 8/5
Starters Returning/Lost: 2/3
Returning All-WIAC: None

UW-Platteville
Head Coach: Megan Wilson; 2nd season at UWP; 6-19
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 9/4
Starters Returning/Lost: 3/2
Returning All-WIAC: None

UW-River Falls
Head Coach: Cindy Holbrook; 12th season at UWRF; 153-132
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 8/6
Starters Returning/Lost: 5/0
Returning All-WIAC: Maranda Dohrn, Sr., F (2010-Honorable, 2011-Honorable); Tiffany Gregorich, Sr., G (2009-Honorable, 2010-First, 2010-Defensive, 2011-First, 2011-Defensive); Alise Holst, Sr., F (2011-Honorable)

UW-Stevens Point
Head Coach: Shirley Egner; 23rd season at UWSP; 409-173
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 11/3
Starters Returning/Lost: 2/3
Returning All-WIAC: Ashley Averkamp, Sr., P (2011-First); Cassie Bandow, Sr., G (2010-Honorable, 2011-Honorable)

UW-Stout
Head Coach: Mark Thomas; 25th season at UWS; 414-227
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 9/9
Starters Returning/Lost: 3/2
Returning All-WIAC: Sami Schoeder, So., G (2011-Honorable)

UW-Superior
Head Coach: Donald Mulhern; 15th season (6th at UWS); 160-196 (overall) / 34-91 (at UWS)
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 7/2
Starters Returning/Lost: 4/1
Returning All-WIAC: Bri Davis, Sr., F (2011-Honorable); Hailey Hart, Sr., F (2009-Honorable, 2010-Honorable, 2011-Honorable); Connie Urmanski, Jr., G (2010-Honorable)

UW-Whitewater
Head Coach: Keri Carollo; 10th season at UWW; 159-88
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 14/8
Starters Returning/Lost: 3/2
Returning All-WIAC: Kaitlyn Thill, So., G (2011-Defensive)

# # # # #