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LANCASTER, PA - The Franklin & Marshall College women's basketball team is selected to finish seventh in the Centennial Conference championship race according to the head coaches and sports information directors in the annual preseason poll. The Diplomats, who advanced to the Centennial Conference semifinals and recorded a 12-12 record, received 115 votes to fall five short of a tie between Gettysburg and Dickinson for fifth place. Leading the way for F&M in 2005 will be 2004 All-Centennial Conference honorable mention point guard Dana Johns (Jr., York, PA/Eastern York). The team leader in steals (71), assists (87) and three-point field goal percentage (36 for 99, 36.4%), Johns ranked third on the team in scoring with 213 points (9.7 ppg) and fourth in rebounding with 65 boards (3.0 rpg). For her career, Johns has tallied 335 points, 110 rebounds, 143 assists and 105 steals while shooting 53-of-151 (35.1%) from beyond the arc. Also in the backcourt, Maura Lentz (Sr., Baltimore, MD/Catonsville) returns after scoring 107 points, dishing out 40 assists and grabbing 15 steals as she appeared in all 24 contests for the Diplomats a year ago. Another player to watch is returning starting forward Lauren Dodrill (Sr., Timonium, MD/Roland Park) who scored 158 points (6.6 ppg), pulled down 126 rebounds (5.3 rpg) and corralled 19 steals last season. At the top of the poll, defending champion Johns Hopkins is the preseason favorite in the Conference. The Blue Jays received 11 out of a possible 22 first-place votes (teams not permitted to vote for themselves) for 190 points in the annual preseason poll. McDaniel was selected to finish in the runner-up spot tallying 185 points and nine first place votes. Muhlenberg received 169 points and two first place votes to finish third, while Swarthmore (122), Dickinson (120), Gettysburg (120), F&M (115), Ursinus (72), Washington (57), Haverford (40) and Bryn Mawr (20) rounded out the poll. Franklin & Marshall will open the 2004-05 season on November 20 at home versus Albright College in the annual F&M Tip-Off Tournament. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m. Centennial Conference Preseason Women's Basketball Poll
1. Johns Hopkins (11) 190
2. McDaniel (9) 185
3. Muhlenberg (2) 169
4. Swarthmore 122
5. Gettysburg 120
Dickinson 120
7. Franklin & Marshall 115
8. Ursinus 72
9. Washington 57
10. Haverford 40
11. Bryn Mawr 20
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