DES MOINES – Iowa Wesleyan College is predicted to finish second in the Midwest Collegiate Conference this season and is expected to again battle St. Ambrose University for the league title, according to the preseason poll of league coaches released Monday by conference sports information director Molly Brown.
The Tigers received 69 points and one first-place vote in the poll, finishing behind defending conference champion St. Ambrose, which received six first-place votes and 77 points total. The Queen Bees defeated IWC 63-60 in the MCC Tournament championship game last year on the way to advancing to the Round of 16 in the NAIA national tournament. SAU won two of three meetings from IWC last season, while the Tigers dealt the Queen Bees one of their two losses in conference play.
Grand View College is third in the preseason poll with 63 points. Mount Mercy College is fourth with 49 points, followed by Waldorf College (42), Viterbo University (41), William Penn University (31), Ashford University (21) and Clarke College (12).
The Tigers finished 20-9 last season and 12-4 in the MCC in the regular season, placing third in the regular season behind St. Ambrose and Grand View. IWC’s string of two straight trips to the NAIA national tourney was snapped last year but the program’s string of 20-win seasons was extended to three. Head Coach Steve Williamson returns three starters from last year’s team, including all-conference guards Ali DeVries (Jr.-Bellevue, Iowa) and Rachel Mitchell (Sr.-Des Moines, Iowa).
2008-09 Midwest Collegiate Conference Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll
(First place votes in parentheses)
1. St. Ambrose (6) 77 pts
2. Iowa Wesleyan (1) 69 pts
3. Grand View (1) 63 pts
4. Mount Mercy (1) 49 pts
5. Waldorf 42 pts
6. Viterbo 41 pts
7. William Penn 31 pts
8. Ashford 21 pts
9. Clarke 12 pts
For more information regarding the IWC women’s basketball program or any of the Tiger athletic teams, contact sports information director Adam Glatczak (319-385-6306 phone; 319-385-6384 FAX; aglatczak@iwc.edu e-mail) or log on to IWC's athletics web site at www.iwc.edu/athletics.
