GNAC release, with poll and team capsules (PDF)
        2016-17 quick facts (PDF)
        2016-17 schedule (HTML)
        2016-17 roster (HTML)
 
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Seattle Pacific Falcons, who return all but one player from last year's team, have been picked for a fifth-place finish in the upcoming Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball season.
 
The 11 GNAC coaches gave the Falcons 79 points in the voting.
 
Who wins it all is clearly up for grabs. Western Washington is a slight favorite, receiving six first-place votes and 112 points. Simon Fraser is second with one first-place vote and 105 points. Defending champion and 2016 national runner-up Alaska Anchorage is close behind in third with four first-place tallies and 103 points.
 
The only other team ahead of SPU is Montana State Billings, with 84 points.
 
"I think the poll shows there's going to be a lot of parity, which I feel is the truth," said Falcons head coach Julie Heisey, beginning her 12th year in charge. "I'm not surprised with where we're (picked). We were a pretty young team last year, and they've worked really hard. But at this point, it's a brand-new season."
 
Unlike last year when the Falcons found themselves short-handed before the first game was even played (two potential starters were sidelined by season-ending injuries), they have a full complement of talent with which to begin the upcoming campaign.

 

At the top of that list are All-GNAC honorable mention selections Courtney Hollander (Lynden, Wash. / Lynden Christian HS) and Jordan McPhee (Normandy Park, Wash. / Mount Rainier HS), both juniors.
 
The 6-foot Hollander led Seattle Pacific in scoring (12.8 points) and rebounds (8.1). McPhee, a 5-10 guard, was second on the team in both categories at 11.7 points and 6.0 rebounds.

 

A pair of senior starters also return. Stacey Lukasiwicz (Centennial, Colo.), a 5-9 guard, averaged 6.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and a team-leading 2.2 assists. Brianne Lasconia (Seattle / Shorecrest HS) is also 5-9 and stepped up into the starting point guard spot. Lasconia delivered 6.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.
 
Hannah Rodrigues, a 5-10 forward who was a full-time starter as a freshman and sophomore, a part-time starter last year, and who has logged more minutes than anyone on the team, is back for her senior season. Rodrigues contributed 6.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and many of the intangibles that do not show up in the stats.
 
Other returners who saw playing time in all 27 games last year are junior guard Lindsay Lee (Spokane, Wash. / Lewis & Clark HS, 4.0 points, 1.0 assists, .356 from 3-point range), junior forward Erica Pagano (Happy Valley, Ore., 3.2 points, 2.5 rebounds), and sophomore guard Jaylee Albert (Hamilton, Mont., 2.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, .867 free throw shooting; also started six games).
 
Back at full strength after being injured all of last season are 5-10 sophomore guard Madison Wright, who played her freshman year (2014-15) at Division I Southern Utah, and 6-3 center Jane Grisley, who has played on national-level teams in Canada.
 
"I definitely like the fact that we're hungry and we give really good effort," Heisey said. "I've just seen maturity on the floor. You can tell our returners did a good job of going home (this summer) and getting better."
 
The Falcons also welcome talented freshmen Madi Hingston and Hailee Bennett into the fold.
 
Hingston, a 5-foot-8 guard, led McNary High School of Keizer to fourth place in last year's Class 6A (large school) Oregon state tournament. She was a first-team all-tournament selection, averaging 15.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.3 steals. If her name sounds familiar, there's a reason for that: Older sister Megan Hingston starred at Northwest Nazarene from 2011-14, where she was a three-time All-GNAC player.
 
Bennett, a 5-7 guard, was named to three consecutive Montana All-State teams at Glacier High School in Kalispell. She averaged 15.3 points and 4.0 assists as a senior. Bennett finished her prep career as Glacier's all-time leader in assists and scored more than 1,000 points in four years, the second-highest total in school history.
 
Seattle Pacific opens the season on Oct. 29 with an exhibition game at Seattle University. The game in SU's Connolly Center tips off at 4:00 p.m. An exhibition against George Fox is set for Saturday, Nov. 5, at 7:00 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion.
 
The regular season begins on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 11 and 12, with the Sodexo Tip-Off Classic in Brougham, SPU will be joined by Western Washington, Fresno Pacific, and Humboldt State, with women's games at 1 and 5 p.m. each day. The Falcons will be in the 5 p.m. game against Fresno on Friday and Humboldt on Saturday, with Western in the 1 p.m. game against the opposite opponent.
 
 
GNAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACHES POLL
 
                School (1^st-place votes)             Points         Last year (GNAC)
1.     Western Washington (6)     112    20-9  (16-4, 2^nd)
2.     Simon Fraser (1)           105    16-11 (13-7, 4^th)
3.     Alaska Anchorage (4)       103    38-3  (18-2, 1^st)
4.     Montana State Billings      84    21-11 (15-5, 3^rd)
5.     Seattle Pacific             79    12-15 (9-11, 7^th)
6.     Northwest Nazarene          61    12-15 (10-10, tie 5^th)
7.     Central Washington          58    17-12 (10-10, tie 5^th)
8.     Concordia                   45     6-22 (4-16, 10^th)
9.     Alaska Fairbanks            39    12-18 (7-13, 8^th)
10.    Saint Martin's              23     7-20 (5-15, 9^th)
11.    Western Oregon              18     4-24 (3-17, 11^th)