Diplomats Picked Sixth in Centennial Conference Preseason Women's Basketball Poll

by Sports Information
11/13/03

LANCASTER, PA - The Franklin & Marshall College women's basketball team is selected to finish sixth in the Centennial Conference championship race according to the head coaches and sports information directors in the annual preseason poll.

The Diplomats, who missed a berth in the Centennial Conference playoffs in the final game of the 2003 season and finished with a 13-10 record in 2003, received 117 votes to fall 11 points behind fifth place Gettysburg.

Leading the way for F&M in 2004 will be All-Conference center Amy Abernathy (Sr., Far Hills, NJ/American School - Paris).

An All-Centennial Conference and All-Eastern College Athletic Conference first team selection last year, Abernathy earned D3Hoops.com All Mid-Atlantic Region second team honors as she led the Diplomats in points (391), rebounds (247), blocked shots (51), steals (49) and field goal percentage (.555) last season. For her career, she now has 1,072 points, 811 rebounds, 158 blocks, 128 steals and 78 assists as she is on pace to join Anne Krumrine '90 as the only players in program history to finish with 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in their careers.

In the history of the program, she enters the season ranked third in blocked shots, 10th in scoring and fifth in rebounding as she could challenge Krumrine's first place marks in points (1,811), rebounding (1,180) and blocks (309).

Last year, she earned the Most Valuable Player award at the Bahamas Goombay Shootout in Nassau for scoring 14 points, grabbing 14 boards and blocking six shots in a 57-53 win over then #25 ranked Carnegie Mellon University.

She was the team leader in scoring 14 times, rebounding 19 times and blocked shots 21 times during the 2002-03 season recording season high totals of 30 points (vs. Haverford, 2/15/03), 21 rebounds (vs. Haverford, 2/15/03) and six blocks (vs. Carnegie Mellon, 1/6/03).

As a team the Diplomats ranked among the CC's top five in scoring defense (62.7, fifth), field goal percentage (.405, third), field goal percentage defense (.382, fifth), rebounding offense (44.0, first), rebounding defense (38.5), rebounding margin (+5.4, first), blocked shots (3.87, second), assists (13.52, fifth), steals (10.91, fourth), offensive rebounds (16.87, second) and defensive rebounds (27.09, fifth) per game last season.

At the top of the poll, defending champion Johns Hopkins is the preseason favorite in the Conference.

The Blue Jays, winners of four CC titles in 10 years, received 15 out of a possible 22 first-place votes (teams not permitted to vote for themselves) for 118 points in the annual preseason poll.

Johns Hopkins won the Centennial title last season, defeating Swarthmore (69-55) and McDaniel (82-58) en route to its seventh trip to the NCAA Tournament. JHU went 1-1 at the NCAA tourney, defeating Hunter, 75-50, before losing 86-60 to Messiah.

Muhlenberg was selected to finish the season in the runner-up spot, tallying 181 points and five first-place votes. The Mules lost 77-64 to McDaniel in the Centennial semifinals in 2003. The Green Terror is third with 153 points and two first-place votes. McDaniel, the 2002 champion, looks to return to the Conference final for a third straight season.

Swarthmore was chosen to finish fourth with 149 votes. The Garnet is in pursuit of a second title in four years with the help of senior guard Katie Robinson, the 2002 & 2003 Centennial Player of the Year.

Washington was the seventh pick with 85 points, while Dickinson (69), Ursinus (68), Haverford (45) and Bryn Mawr (21) round out the poll.

For the first time in its history, the Centennial Conference will not have East and West Divisions for basketball. Centennial teams will play a complete double round-robin schedule with the top four teams qualifying for the Conference tournament on February 28-29, 2004.

The 2004 season kicks off Friday, November 21, with Dickinson at Rowan Invitational; Gettysburg at Marymount Verizon Tip-off Classic; Mary Washington at Muhlenberg (Scotty Wood Tournament); Juniata at Swarthmore; Ursinus at National City Tip-off at Allegheny; and Washington at Cabrini Tip-off Tournament.

Franklin & Marshall will open the season on Saturday, November 22, with York, Lebanon Valley and Washington & Jefferson at home in the F&M Invitational. The Diplomats will tip-off the tournament at 1:00 p.m. versus York, while Lebanon Valley and Washington & Jefferson will meet at 3:00 p.m. On Sunday, November 23, the consolation game will begin at 1:00 p.m. with the title tilt set for a 3:00 p.m. start time.

Centennial Conference Preseason Women's Basketball Poll
1. Johns Hopkins (15) 194
2. Muhlenberg (5) 181
3. McDaniel (2) 153
4. Swarthmore 149
5. Gettysburg 128
6. Franklin & Marshall 117
7. Washington 85
8. Dickinson 69
9. Ursinus 68
10. Haverford 45
11. Bryn Mawr 21

(#) first-place votes