October 27, 2009
SEATTLE -- Looking for an overwhelming favorite in this year's Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball race?
Keep looking.
Four of the conference's nine teams -- including Seattle Pacific -- received at least two first-place votes in the preseason coaches poll. The numbers ultimately added up for Alaska Anchorage -- but not by much. The Seawolves, who shared the GNAC crown with SPU last winter at 14-2 and went 31-4 overall, picked up three of those first-place votes and a total of 72 points.
The Falcons (23-5 overall), coming off that co-championship and their second straight trip to the NCAA West Region title game, are right on Anchorage's heels with two first-place votes and 69 points.
There's not much breathing room behind SPU, either. Northwest Nazarene is third in the poll, also garnering a pair of first-place picks and a total of 65 points. Western Washington also picked up two firsts and came in with 64 points.
Those four schools all made it into the NCAA tourney last season. Seattle Pacific and Anchorage played for the conference crown. Western and NNU both went out in the first round.
This year's poll is in stark contrast to last season's when Anchorage received all but one first-place vote and totaled 86 points.
SPU opens its season next Thursday, Nov. 5, with an exhibition game in Hec Edmundson Pavilion against Washington at 7 p.m. The Falcons' home tip-off is Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. in an exhibition against George Fox, the reigning NCAA Division III champions.
2009-10 GNAC COACHES POLL
(First-place votes in parentheses)
Rank School 08-09 Overall GNAC Points
1. Alaska Anchorage (3) 31-4 14-2 72
2. Seattle Pacific (2) 23-5 14-2 69
3. Northwest Nazarene (2) 18-10 11-5 65
4. Western Washington (2) 19-9 11-5 64
5. Saint Martin's 16-12 7-9 42
6. Western Oregon 8-19 3-13 32
7. Montana State Billings 16-11 8-8 28
8. Central Washington 7-20 4-12 24
9. Alaska Fairbanks 5-20 0-16 9
