NEW YORK | The Skyline Conference's 11 head women's basketball coaches cast their votes in the 2022-23 edition of the preseason coaches poll.
United States Merchant Marine Academy is atop the ledger, edging reigning champion Mount Saint Mary by two points, 91-89. The same two teams from last year’s championship top the poll, although MSMC receives five-first place votes from the coaches as opposed to three for the Mariners.
The Knights, the No. 1 seed in last winter’s final, captured their first conference title since 2012 with a 61-53 triumph over visiting No. 2-seed USMMA in the championship.
Head coach Matt Dempsey's Mariners return sophomore forward Grace Jackson, among others. She notched a double-double in the championship, scoring a game-high 27 points with 10 rebounds. At the conclusion of last season, she was named to the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) All-Met Third Team and compiled quite a handful awards, including Skyline Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, and All-Skyline First Team.
MSMC, under head coach Colleen Ames, completed the 2021-22 season with a 24-4 overall record and a 19-1 mark against Skyline Conference opponents. The Knights claimed their 13th conference championship in program history in 2022 and won the program's seventh game in the NCAA Tournament with a 57-54 win at Johns Hopkins in the First Round. Ames returns a strong nucleus in search of a repeat.
Meantime, Manhattanville (87 points) comes in third and receives two-first place votes of its own. The Valiants finished 19-8 last year, going 14-6 in Skyline Conference play and advancing to the league semifinals. Retooling the roster with an influx of eight rookies, the Valiants will look to take the next step in their hunt for the Skyline Championship.
Mount Saint Vincent (69) and Farmingdale State (65) round out the top-five positions in the tally. FSC received one first-place vote in the poll.
The 2023 Skyline Conference Women’s Basketball Championship commences on Feb. 21, 2023 with the First Round and continues with the Semifinals on Feb. 23. The conference champion will be crowned on Feb. 25. The Skyline champion will receive automatic qualification to the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship.
2022-23 Skyline Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. USMMA (3 first-place votes), 91 pts.
2. Mount Saint Mary (5), 89
3. Manhattanville (2), 87
4. Mount Saint Vincent, 69
5. Farmingdale State (1), 65
6. St. Joseph’s-Long Island, 59
7. Old Westbury, 35
8. St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn, 34
9t. Yeshiva and Sarah Lawrence, 29
11. Purchase, 18