ATLANTA - The Eckerd women's basketball t
eam comes was selected as No. 3 in the Sunshine State Conference Preseason Poll.
Eckerd received 82 points, coming in third, while collecting one first-place vote. Tampa was picked first with 95 points and Nova Southeastern was tabbed second with 85 points.
Eckerd was selected No. 9 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Coaches Poll earlier today.
Eckerd finihsed second in the SSC last season.
Eckerd returns three players from last year - Hannah Wentworth, Lauryn Vieira, and Ieva Korzane- while welcoming seven newcomers, transfers: Chance Bucher, Jessie Ford, Bella Green, Martyna Kowalska, and Sonja Schuch, and freshman Johanna Bielefeld, and Elina Olsson.
Eckerd is coming off a historic season with a 26-6 mark and 18-2 record in SSC play. The Tritons made the program's first trip to the NCAA Sweet 16. Eckerd earned the No. 2 seed in the NCAA South Regional, making the program's seventh appearance on the national stage and Eckerd's sixth straight appearance.
Lauryn Vieira was named the Sunshine State Conference Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season, averaging 10.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game, and Wentworth averaged 12.0 points per game last season.
Eckerd ended last season ranked 10th in 3-pointers per game, 14th in assist-to-turnover ratio, 15th in field goal percentage, 22nd in scoring margin, and 24th in 3-point percentage.
Ecked opens the season on November 10 against Valdosta State at 7:30 PM in Pensacola, Florida.
