RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Last Thursday, the Great American Conference announced the results of the 2023-2024 Coaches' Poll and Southern Nazarene racked up seven first-place votes, coming out on top as the preseason favorite.
Looking back on an unforgettable 2022-2023 season, it was to no surprise that the Storm would be a top-pick amongst the conference coaches. Not only did the Storm win their first regular season title in program history last year, Head Coach Trent May and his squad also won their second tournament title. In the final game of the tournament, SNU knocked of Harding, who tabbed in second behind the Storm of this year's preseason poll.
The Storm return Defensive Player of the Year and GAC Tournament MVP Hannah Giddey, who made her debut with the Storm two seasons ago and immediately made an impact. Giddey led the nation in blocks per game and total blocks with 2.91 and 93, respectively, also adding 12.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Giddey's stellar stat line did not stop there as she shot a league-leading 57.1 percent from the floor.
Georgia Adams also returns to the Storm squad who was a Second-Team All-GAC honoree last season. Adams was one of the key contributors to SNU's potent offense, leading the team in scoring at 14.5 points per game. She also added 5.1 rebounds a game and shot 43.8 percent from the floor.
The Storm achieved their most successful season in the Division II era last year with a 27-5 overall record and a 21-1 conference record. They were perfect at home, racking up 12 total wins inside the Sawyer Center.
Harding comes in as the second pick in the preseason poll, knocked off by Southern Nazarene in the final of the GAC Championship. The Lady Bisons return Player of the Year Sage Hawley and Rory Geer, another All-GAC selection last season.
Oklahoma Baptist came in third in the poll, two points clear of Arkansas Tech. The Bison achieved their winningest season last year with a 17-13 record and claimed their first GAC Championships victory as they snubbed Arkansas Tech in the quarterfinals. They return Freshman of the Year Jaedyn German and All-GAC honoree Madison Chambers.
The full poll can be found at this link:
https://greatamericanconference.com/news/2023/10/19/southern-nazarene-named-thegac-2023-24-womens-basketball-favorite.aspx
The regular season begins on Friday, November 10 with nine schools competing in various Central Region challenges. Southern Nazarene will host an exhibition against Cameron University on November 6th and will follow with their Region Challenge in St. Joseph, Missouri November 10th through November 11th. The 2024 GAC Championships will take place from Thursday, March 7 through Sunday, March 10 at FireLake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
