ATLANTA, Ga. (October 31, 2017)—Benedict College represents the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) in the Preseason NCAA Division II Media Poll, sponsored by NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA). The poll, released Tuesday, Oct. 31, is in its fourth year of existence.
The Tigers, who claimed two Preseason Player of the Year honors, checked in at No. 8 in the Southern Region media poll.
The Lady Tigers are the two-time defending SIAC champions and are coming off a 22-8 season. Coach James Rice returns two preseason All-SIAC selections in MiKeisha Moore, the SIAC preseason Player of the Year, and Shirvel Luke.
Rollins and Valdosta State tied for the top spot in the poll, earning 53 points each. Rollins picked up three first-place votes from the panel, while Valdosta State had one. West Florida, picked third, also received one first-place vote.
The Lady Tigers open the 2017-18 season on Nov. 14 at home against USC-Aiken at 5:30 p.m.
The Women’s Basketball Division II Media Poll, sponsored by D2SIDA, is in its fourth year of existence. The regional poll is released every Monday, followed by the national poll every Tuesday. Each region has six representatives that comprise the regional poll. The national poll has 16 voters – 2 from each region. The South Region consists of teams from the SIAC, Sunshine State Conference, and the Gulf South Conference.
SOUTH (1st place votes) — Record — Points
1 Rollins (3) — 22-8 — 53
1 Valdosta State (1) — 22-10 — 53
3 West Florida (1) — 28-7 — 48
4 Nova Southeastern — 17-12 — 41
5 Lee — 20-11 — 34
6 Tampa — 17-11 — 26
7 Eckerd (1) — 27-5 — 20
8 Benedict — 22-8 — 18
9 Florida Southern — 20-10 — 12
10 Union — 17-12 — 11
Receiving Votes: Embry-Riddle (5), North Alabama (4), Central State (3), West Georgia (2)
