Audio - Jabir Press Conference
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Coming off a 25-win season a year ago, the Dayton Flyers were selected to finish ninth in the 2008 Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Preseason Poll. UD finished 25-9 overall and 9-5 in the A-10 (T-4th) last season and is led by preseason third team selection Kristin Daugherty who averaged 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game last year.
The Musketeers, under the direction of seventh-year head coach Kevin McGuff, received 15 first-place votes cast by the panel of coaches and media to repeat as league champions. The Musketeers have made two straight NCAA appearances after winning the A-10 Championship the past two years.
George Washington was chosen to finish in second place in the preseason poll. The Colonials have advanced to the Sweet 16 the last two seasons, but lost three starting seniors to graduation, including All-American point guard Kimberly Beck ('08). Senior forward Jessica Adair was the team's leading scorer last season (15.2 ppg.) and returns to the floor as a preseason first-team All-Conference honoree.
Charlotte was chosen third and boasts four returning starters from last season's WNIT team. The 49ers will be led by senior forward/center Danielle Burgin (10.8 ppg.), a second-team preseason All-Conference member and the team's top returning scorer.
Temple, last year's Championship runner-up, was chosen fourth. Richmond, which welcomes back four starters, was picked fifth, and Saint Joseph's, also returning four starters, was chosen sixth. St. Bonaventure was tabbed seventh; Duquesne was picked eighth, followed by Dayton, Saint Louis, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, La Salle and Fordham.
In that same poll, the coaches and media selected the Atlantic 10 preseason All-Conference teams. Amber Harris and Ta'Shia Phillips of Xavier, Jessica Adair of George Washington, Kristi Little of Duquesne and St. Bonaventure's Dana Mitchell are all first team selections.
The second-team consists of Burgin along with senior Johanna McKnight of Richmond, Saint Louis junior Theresa Lisch and sophomores Sarah Acker from Saint Joseph's and Richmond's Brittani Shells.
Third-team members include seniors Antelia Parrish of George Washington and Xavier's Jerri Taylor, junior LaKeisha Eaddy of Temple and sophomores Kristin Daugherty from Dayton and Fordham's Megan Mahoney.
Eaddy, Harris, Little, McKnight and Phillips make up the 2008-09 preseason All-Defensive team.
The Flyers experienced its most successful season in modern history in 2007-2008 with votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, a modern-program record for wins in a season (25), a berth in the Atlantic 10 Championship semifinals and a trip to the postseason WNIT.
Dayton will host the Ohio Legends in an exhibition game on Thursday, Nov. 6 at 5:30 p.m. ET.
