Centennial Conference Preseason Poll
HAVERFORD, Pa. – After reaching the NCAA tournament for the second time in program history a season ago,the Haverford College women's basketball has been picked to finish fourth in the Centennial Conference preseason poll, the conference office announced in a release today. The head coaches from each school joined sports information contacts from throughout the conference as part of the voting panel. Coaches and SIDs were not allowed to vote for their own institutions.
Haverford received a total of 146 points. Gettysburg was picked to repeat its conference crown with 190 total points and 14 first place votes. The other eight first place votes went to a resurgent Johns Hopkins side, as the Blue Jays were allotted 179 points. Muhlenberg grabbed 164 points to rank third. Ursinus was also predicted for a playoff finish with 128 voting points to rank fifth. Dickinson (103 points), McDaniel (92 points), Franklin & Marshall (90 points), Washington College (58 points), Swarthmore (40 points), and Bryn Mawr (20 points), finished in the sixth through 11th spots, respectively.
Last season, Haverford finished the season with its second-best win total in program history, reaching the postseason for the seventh consecutive campaign. The Fords knocked off a ranked Muhlenberg side on two separate occasions, including in the Centennial Conference tournament semifinals. Haverford reached the NCAA tournament via an at-large berth to the tournament and facing off with Christopher Newport in Ashland, Va.
Despite losing senior leaders and program cornerstones Sierra Berkel and Samantha Wetzel, Haverford remains in very solid position to continue its run of success, as senior co-captain Macy Goldbach returns from the second of back-to-back All-Conference campaigns. Fellow guard and senior co-captain Katie Cook will be another anchor and leader in her senior season, as the Fords front court will benefit from experience and leadership. Sharpshooter Julianna Clark, the reigning conference Rookie of the Year, is sure to be a versatile threat in her second campaign.
Women's Basketball will open up the 2018-19 season on Monday, November 12, as the Fords host the Mighty Macs of Immaculata inside Gooding '84 Arena at 7 p.m. The first conference matchup is slated for Tuesday, November 20 at Ursinus.