Coker Women's Basketball Tabbed Fourth in Preseason Poll

HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker College women's basketball team has been picked to finish fourth in the Conference Carolinas preseason poll, it was announced today. The ranking is the program's highest since the 2004-05 season, when it was also fourth.

Defending conference champion Limestone took the top spot with 11 of 12 first-place votes. Barton came in at second and Mount Olive in third. Coker received 89 points in the poll.

"It is an honor to be picked in the top four of the preseason poll and recognized by our fellow coaches in Conference Carolinas," said head coach Jenny Finora. "Being fourth is an excellent motivator for our team. We have climbed the ladder but want to keep climbing, and we know that a preseason ranking is just that. We have a lot of work to do and higher expectations to achieve."

The Cobras finished last season with an 11-16 overall record and 11-6 mark in conference play. Their season ended with a loss to North Greenville in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.

Coker lost just one starter from last year's squad and returns all-conference performers Amber Lau (first team) and Jessica Cohen (third team), as well as Coker freshman of the year Kelley Godbout.

The women's basketball preseason poll is as follows: 1. Limestone; 2. Barton; 3. Mount Olive; 4. Coker; 5. North Greenville; 6. Pfeiffer; 7. Queens; 8. Belmont Abbey; 9. Erskine; 10. King; 11. Lees-McRae; 12. Converse.

Coker opens its season with an exhibition at the University of Tennessee on Nov. 4, followed by the season opener against Carson-Newman in the SAC-Conference Carolinas challenge Nov. 9.

For more information, contact Chris Dougherty, manager of athletics media relations, at 843-383-8018 or cdougherty@coker.edu.

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Coker College readies undergraduates for personal and professional success through a distinctive four-year program that emphasizes a practical application of the liberal arts as well as hands-on and discussion-based learning within and beyond the classroom. Coker is ranked among the "Best Colleges" in the South by U.S. News & World Report as well as The Princeton Review. Located in Hartsville, S.C., Coker is within two hours of the cultural, financial and recreational resources of Charlotte, Columbia, Charleston and Myrtle Beach.