Western New England Selected Second in CCC Preseason Coaches’ Poll
Golden Bears open season at Suffolk on Saturday
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 6, 2018) – The Western New England University women's basketball team has been picked second in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Preseason Coaches' Poll, which was released on Tuesday afternoon by the league office.
The Golden Bears received one first-place vote and finished with 66 total points, good for second in the nine-team CCC. Six-time defending champion University of New England was selected as the preseason favorite with eight of nine first-place votes and 80 total points. Roger Williams finished third with 65 points, while Endicott (59), Salve Regina (43), Curry (33), Gordon (30), Nichols (19) and Wentworth (10) rounded out the final seven spots.
Last season, the Golden Bears went 17-10 (12-6) and reached the CCC semifinals for the fourth consecutive year. Western New England will again look to challenge for the top spot in the conference in 2018-19 under 14th-year head coach Nicole Chaszar.
The Golden Bears will be led by senior captain Meghan Gilhool (Montrose, Pa.), who started all 27 games a season ago. Junior forward Meghan Orbann (East Hampton, Conn.), a 2017-18 All-CCC third team honoree, is Western New England's top returning scorer (9.0 PPG), while juniors Courtney Carlson (Woodbury, Conn.) and Emily Farrell (New Fairfield, Conn.) also figure to be key contributors for the Golden Bears.
Western New England's 2018-19 season gets underway on Saturday, November 10, when the Golden Bears travel to Boston to face Suffolk University. CCC play begins on November 28 as Western New England hosts Roger Williams at the AHLC.
