CLEVELAND, OH – Ohio Wesleyan has been selected as the favorite for the 2024-25 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Women's Basketball season, based on votes submitted by league coaches.
The Battling Bishops earned the top spot of the 2024-25 coaches' poll after earning six of a possible eight first-place votes and a total of 62 points while the DePauw Tigers picked up the final two first-place votes and 51 points to sit in second-place. Wittenberg, who owns a league leading 14 conference crowns, earned third with 48 points. Last season, DePauw, Ohio Wesleyan, and Wittenberg were crowned tri-champions after posting identical 11-3 NCAC records. Denison (46) and Oberlin (33) sit in fourth and fifth, respectively, while Hiram (21), Kenyon (17), and Wooster (10) completed the eight-team field.
Ohio Wesleyan, a team that owns seven conference titles, returns three fifth-year seniors from a squad that finished the 2023-24 season with a 23-7 overall record, a runner-up finish in the conference tournament, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament.
Kasey Schipfer (Mechanicsburg, OH/Mechanicsburg) returns after leading the NCAC in scoring (20.6 ppg) and steals (3.1 spg) for the second-consecutive season. She also ranked second in the league in both rebounds (8.9 rpg) and free-throw percentage (.783) and fifth in field-goal percentage (.526). At the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, Schipfer was named Player of the Year for the second-consecutive season, making her only the fifth player in league history to claim back-to-back honors. Additionally, the three-time All-NCAC guard earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2023. Joining Schipfer on the court are guards
Elizabeth Homan (Cincinnati, OH/Anderson) and
Lauren Denison (Pataskala, OH/Watkins Memorial). Homan, the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year, collected her second All-NCAC second-team certificate after she ranked second in the league in steals (42), averaging 3.0 per game. She also totaled 51 defensive rebounds (3.6 rpg) in NCAC play, pulling in four or more defensive boards in six conference games. Offensively, the senior averaged a league-best 7.6 assists in conference play, while also netting 64 points (4.6 ppg) against conference opponents. Denison returns for the 2024-25 season after leading the league in three-point field goals (72), three-points per game (2.4), and three-point attempts (199) while also ranking second in three-point field goal percentage (36.2).
The 2024-25 season begins on November 8 while the first league game is slated for December 4 with Denison hosting DePauw, Hiram traveling to Ohio Wesleyan, and Oberlin taking on Wooster at home. The NCAC Tournament will be held at the end of February with quarterfinals scheduled for February 25, semifinals on February 28, and the tournament championship game on March 1.
2024-25 North Coast Athletic Conference
Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points) |
| 1. |
Ohio Weselayn (6) |
62 |
| 2. |
DePauw (2) |
51 |
| 3. |
Wittenberg |
48 |
| 4. |
Denison |
46 |
| 5. |
Oberlin |
33 |
| 6. |
Hiram |
21 |
| 7. |
Kenyon |
17 |
| 8. |
Wooster |
10 |