NWC POLL: Bruins Favored to Win 6th Straight Northwest Conference Title by Coaches

NEWBERG, Ore. – After winning or sharing each of the last five Northwest Conference women’s basketball championships, and with five starters returning in 2011-12, it is perhaps little wonder that the George Fox University Bruins are favored to win their sixth straight NWC title as predicted in a pre-season poll of the league’s nine coaches.

The Bruins, coming off a 25-6 season and their third straight “Elite 8” showing in the NCAA Division III National Tournament, picked up seven of nine first-place votes and tallied 70 of 72 possible points in the poll. George Fox returns First Team All-NWC post Hannah Munger and First Team All-NWC guard Keisha Gordon, who were recently named pre-season Second and Third Team All-Americans by D3hoops.com.

Also back in the starting lineup for second-year coach Michael Meek are honorable mention All-Conference wing Arianna Mohsenian, point guard Hayley Cusick, and forward Megan Arnoldy.  Four seniors remain from the 2008-09 team which won the NCAA National Championship, including Gordon, Mohsenian, center Breezy Rinehart-Young, and wing Carrie Myers. 

Lewis & Clark College, which shared last year’s regular-season conference crown with George Fox, was second in the poll with 59 points and picked up the other two first-place votes. The Pioneers welcome back 2011 NWC Player of the Year Kristina Williams and Second Team All-NWC post Megan Spence.

The University of Puget Sound was third in the poll with 46 points. The Loggers will be led by First Team All-NWC guard Jocelyn Riordan and Second Team All-NWC guard Kelsey McKinnis.

Whitman College with 44 points was fourth in the poll.  All-NWC point guard Janele Peterson returns for her final season of eligibility, joined by honorable mention All-Conference forward Kelly Peterson.

Whitworth University was fifth in the poll with 35 points, just ahead of Linfield College with 34.  Second Team All-NWC guard Emily Guthrie will lead the Pirates, while First Team All-NWC wing Gretchen Owens returns for the Wildcats.

Pacific Lutheran University was seventh in the poll with 20 points.  Sophomore guard Shelly Kilkup is the Lutes' leading returnee.  Pacific University, eighth in the poll with 16 points, will be led by senior Erica Schultz, a Second Team All-NWC selection in 2011.  Willamette University rounded out the poll by placing ninth with nine points.

The Northwest Conference champion is determined by the regular season schedule.  The league will use a conference tournament, comprised of the top four teams in the final regular season standings, to decide the automatic (Pool A) bid to the NCAA Tournament.  Last year, George Fox earned the league’s automatic bid by winning the conference tournament, and Lewis & Clark received an at-large (Pool C) bid.

The season officially gets under way on Tuesday, Nov. 15.  George Fox opens its season that night, hosting Corban University at 7:00 p.m.

(First-place votes in parenthesis. Points awarded on 9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis).