SAN BRUNO, Calif. - Gonzaga University was chosen as the favorite to claim the West Coast Conference women's basketball title for the fourth-straight year in the 2011-12 preseason coaches' poll. The Bulldogs, who received the maximum eight first place votes for a total of 64 points, have won the WCC regular season title for an unprecedented seven-straight years.
The Zags also won the 2011 WCC Zappos.com Championship, earned their fourth-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight for the first time in school history. The Bulldogs, an 11th-seed in the NCAA Tournament, upset sixth-seeded University of Iowa 92-86, upended No. 8 seed UCLA 89-75, and defeated seventh-seeded Louisville 76-69 before falling to Stanford University.
Headlining the group of Gonzaga returnees is the senior trio of guard Katelan Redmon, the 2010 WCC Newcomer of the Year and 2011 All-West Coast Conference honoree; forward Kayla Standish, a 2011 All-WCC and All-Tournament honoree, and guard Kelly Bowen.
The Bulldogs are one of only two teams that landed two players on the preseason all-conference list as Redmon and Standish each earned the honor.
Gonzaga returns eight letterwinners from its 31-5, 14-0 WCC squad in 2010-11, including three starters.
WCC newcomer Brigham Young University captured one first place vote, and was selected to finish second in the preseason poll, collecting 52 points. The Cougars advanced to the Women's NIT last year as members of the Mountain West Conference. Senior forward Kristen Riley was selected to the Preseason All-WCC team.
Pepperdine University was selected to finish third in the preseason coaches' poll with 50 points. The Waves return senior guard Jazmine Jackson, who was the 2011 WCC Defensive Player of the Year.
Loyola Marymount University was picked to finish fourth in the WCC with a total of 36 points. The Lions get redshirt-senior guard/forward Alex Cowling back from injury. Cowling was also selected to the Preseason All-Conference team.
Saint Mary's College finished with 34 total points in the preseason poll and was selected to finish fifth. The Gaels have made two consecutive Women's NIT appearances. Redshirt-senior guard Jasmine Smith was voted to the Preseason All-Conference team.
The University of Portland was picked to finish sixth in the WCC with 32 total points. The Pilots were one of two teams with multiple selections on the Preseason All-WCC team. Seniors Natalie Day and ReZina TecleMariam were voted onto the Preseason All-Conference team.
The University San Diego was picked to finish seventh with 26 points, followed by Santa Clara University with 22 points and the University of San Francisco with eight points.
The 2011-12 season tips off on Friday, November 11 for seven of the nine WCC teams. The 2012 Zappos.com West Coast Conference Basketball Championships will return to the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas from February 29-March 5.
Women's Basketball 2011 West Coast Conference Preseason Poll
1. Gonzaga - 64 (8)
2. BYU (1) - 52
3. Pepperdine - 50
4. Loyola Marymount - 36
5. Saint Mary's - 34
6. Portland - 32
7. San Diego - 26
8. Santa Clara - 22
9. San Francisco - 8
(First place votes)
Women's Basketball 2011 Preseason All-Conference Team
Name, School, YR, POS
Dominique Conners, San Diego,SR, G
Alex Cowling, Loyola Marymount, RS-JR, G/F
Natalie Day, Portland, SR, G/F
Jazmine Jackson, Pepperdine, SR, G
Katelan Redmon, Gonzaga, SR, G/F
Kristen Riley, BYU, SR, F
Alyssa Shoji, Santa Clara, SR, G
Jasmine Smith, Saint Mary's, RS-SR, G
Kayla Standish, Gonzaga, SR, F
ReZina TecleMariam, Portland, SR, G
Notes:
-Names Listed Alphabetically
-Coaches could not vote for their own team or players
-The Preseason All-WCC Team is listed alphabetically and there is no Player of the Year, etc.
