Ohio Wesleyan Tops 2023-24 NCAC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll

CLEVELAND, OH - Ohio Wesleyan has been tabbed as the favorite for the 2023-24 North Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball season, based on votes submitted by the league coaches.
 
The Battling Bishops, in search of their sixth NCAC title and first since 2001, are heading into the 2023-24 season atop of the coaches' poll after earning six of a possible eight first-place votes to total 61 points. Just three points separate second-place Wittenberg from the Bishops as the Ohio Tigers picked up the final two first-place votes and 58 points. Wittenberg is on the hunt for back-to-back conference championship seasons for the first time since they rang up three-straight from 2002-2004; They lead all programs with 13 overall conference crowns. The DePauw Tigers, on the prowl to add to their recent string of six straight NCAC crowns, earned third with 47 points. Oberlin (39) and Denison (35) round out the top five in the coaches' poll, followed by Kenyon (20), Hiram (18), and Wooster (10) in places six through eight, respectively.

Ohio Wesleyan returns three all-conference players from the 2022-23 team that finished with an overall record of 18-11, a 10-4 NCAC mark, and the 2023 NCAC Tournament title. The Bishops are highlighted by senior and 2023 first-team All-NCAC honoree Kasey Schipfer (Mechanicsburg, OH/Mechanicsburg). The guard was named 2023 Player of the Year and Top Defensive Player after she put together a dominant season a year ago. Schipfer is the first player in NCAC basketball history, women's or men's, to be named both the Player of the Year and the Top Defensive Player since the defensive award was inaugurated for the 2016-17 season. In her junior campaign, Schipfer led the NCAC in scoring (18.1 ppg) while also ranking third in steals (2.3 spg) and ranking fourth in both rebounds (8.4 rpg). 2022-23 second-team All-NCAC selections Lauren Denison (Pataskala, OH/Watkins Memorial) and Elizabeth Homan (Cincinnati, OH/Anderson) also make their return to the hardwood. Denison, a senior guard, contributed 11.8 points, three rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game last winter. Homan, a senior guard, recorded 7.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game for the Bishops as a junior.

The 2023-24 season begins on Wednesday, November 8, while the first league game is slated for Saturday, December 9. The NCAC Tournament will be held at the end of February with quarterfinals scheduled for February 20 and the semifinals and championship to be played on February 23 and 24.

 
2023-24 North Coast Athletic Conference
Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points)
WOMEN
1. Ohio Wesleyan (6) 61
2. Wittenberg (2) 58
3. DePauw 47
4. Oberlin 39
5. Denison 35
6. Kenyon 20
7. Hiram 18
8. Wooster 10
 
 

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