NEW YORK | The Skyline Conference's 11 head women's basketball coaches cast their votes in the 2023-24 edition of the preseason coaches poll, projecting last winter’s top two teams to once again lead the way.
Backed by its star trio, Manhattanville is atop the ledger, besting reigning champion U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in the poll. The two met in last season’s championship, with the Mariners getting the better of the Valiants, 56-47. The Valiants' season ended with a 21-4 record (16-2 Skyline), while the Mariners extended their winning streak to 14 and moved to 24-2 (16-2 Skyline). The club's 24 wins in a season and 14 wins in a row are both program records. USMMA’s season came to an end in the NCAA’s first round.
Projections have this year’s Manhattanville squad returning the pace the field thanks to Amanda Orlando, Jamison Agostino and Julianna Kascic. Orlando was named the Skyline Rookie of the Year, while Agostino and Kascic were appointed to the All-Conference First Team. They are back for Kate Vlahakis’ Valiants.
Orlando (below) was phenomenal in her first season playing college ball. She finished the year third on the team in scoring with 9.8 points per contest, trailing only Kascic and Agostino. Kascic scored a team-high 351 points in the 2022-23 campaign, averaging 14.0 points per contest as she played in all 25 games, making 23 starts. Playing more than 31 minutes per game, Kascic shot 55 percent from the field on the season while also leading the team in rebounds with 269 on the year, averaging 10.8 boards per game. Agostino continued her development. She would finish seventh in all of Division III in total 3-pointers and sixth in 3s per game. Agostino drained 79 3-pointers over the course of the season, setting a new program record.
Manhattanville tops the poll with 100 points and 10 first-place votes. The Mariners are second with 91 points and the other first-place vote.
Head coach Matt Dempsey's Mariners will move forward without player of the year Lauren Hunter, who graduated. Hunter, who was also named the Skyline Conference Championship Most Outstanding Player, was the conference leader in points and rebounds, while also ranking in the top-25 in the nation in both categories. USMMA will turn to junior returner Grace Jackson, among others, to fill the void.
Jackson ranked 14th in the Skyline and second on the Mariners in scoring with 11.5 points per game in 2022-23. She was also in the top-10 in the conference in four other categories – second with a 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio, sixth with 3.9 assists per game, seventh with 2.2 steals per game and seventh with 1.0 blocked shots per game. She was the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year as well as a First Team All-Skyline selection.
Last winter, Dempsey (below) guided Merchant Marine to its fourth-straight 20-win season dating back to the 2018-19 campaign. Last year's squad set program records for wins in a season and longest winning streak. He has also led the Mariners to four-straight appearances in the Skyline Championship game and three conference titles.
St. Joseph’s-Long Island (76), Mount Saint Mary (74) and Mount Saint Vincent (58) round out the top-five positions in the tally.
The 2024 Skyline Conference Women’s Basketball Championship commences on Feb. 20, 2024 with the First Round and continues with the Semifinals on Feb. 22. The conference champion will be crowned on Feb. 24. The Skyline champion will receive automatic qualification to the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship.
2023-24 Skyline Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Manhattanville (10 first-place votes), 100 pts.
2. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (1), 91
3. St. Joseph’s-Long Island, 76
4. Mount Saint Mary, 74
5. Mount Saint Vincent, 58
6. Yeshiva, 51
7. Sarah Lawrence, 43
8. Farmingdale State, 41
9. St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn, 40
10. Old Westbury, 21
11. Purchase, 10