2019-2020 GAC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Great American Conference released its Preseason Women's Basketball Coaches' Poll for the 2019-20 season, and the Southern Nazarene University women's team was picked to finish fourth.
 
The Crimson Storm received 89 points in the poll, five behind third place finisher Arkansas Tech, and three ahead of fifth place Henderson State. Harding piled in the most votes in the poll, as the Lady Bisons earned nine of the 12 possible first-place votes. After making a trip to the NCAA Division II National Championship game last March, Southwestern Oklahoma State finished 14 points behind Harding and received the other three first-place votes.
 
Southern Nazarene returns three starters from a season ago and will enter the 2019-20 season with four total seniors on the roster. Although SNU will have to replace its leading scorer from a season ago in Adrienne Berry, the Storm return the GAC Defensive Player of the Year in junior Abby Niehues. Last season, Niehues blocked 103 shots which led the GAC and ranked sixth in all of NCAA Division II.
 
SNU also returns junior point guard Alexus Jones who received GAC honorable mention honors last season after averaging 8.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. She orchestrated the Storm offense to a school record 15 wins in conference play.
 
The Storm also return some key pieces off the bench for the upcoming season including Irene Perez, Jaycee Soap, Sonia Sarda, Kennedy Gillette, Massey Beard, Addison Foster, and Julia Schwake who all saw quality minutes last season. SNU also get senior Kandyce Freeman back this season after she sat out all of the 2018-19 season to injury.
 
Southern Nazarene opens the 2019-20 season on November 1^st with an exhibition game at 5:30 p.m. against Dallas Christian inside the Sawyer Center.