Health & Fitness
Hawks Picked Second in League Poll
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Hartford Women's Basketball team was picked to finish second in the nine-team America East Conference in a tally of head coaches released by the league office on Wednesday. The pre-season poll announcement follows up Tuesday's release of the pre-season All-Conference Team which included junior guard Amber Bepko.
The University at Albany was picked to finish first following the 16-game regular season, garnering eight of the nine possible first place votes and 64 total points. Hartford collected 54 points, while Stony Brook University was picked third with 48 points. The remaining first place vote was tallied by the New Hampshire Wildcats who were picked to finish in fourth place with 46 points. Vermont (fifth), Maine (sixth) and UMBC (seventh) finish out the middle of the conference. The Binghamton Bearcats were picked eighth and the newest member of the America East Conference, UMass Lowell, was picked to finish ninth.
The Hawks return eleven players from the 2012-13 women's basketball team that finished 21-12 overall and advanced to the America East Championship game. The Hawks also earned their ninth straight bid to the postseason hosting Harvard in the WNIT.
The Hawks welcome four new faces to the squad in 2013-14. Deanna Mayza (Pennsburg, Pa.) and Morgan Lumb (North Andover, Mass.) will join Bepko and Englert in the backcourt, while La'Trice Hall (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Alyssa Reaves (Bloomfield, Conn.) will provide options in the frontcourt. Reaves hails from nearby Northwest Catholic High School where she was an All-State selection in her senior season.
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The Hawks will open a 29-game slate in 2013-14 against the national powerhouse Connecticut Huskies on Saturday, November 9. Hartford and UConn are scheduled to tipoff at 4 p.m. at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. In addition to UConn, Hartford has the opportunity to play three other teams who advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season, Miami (Nov. 30), Vanderbilt (Dec. 15) and Penn State (Dec. 29).
