2018-19 ECC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL
Rank	School	Pts.	2017-18 Record
1	LIU Post (8)	98	22-8, 17-1 ECC
2	NYIT (1)	84	19-12, 11-7 ECC
3	St. Thomas Aquinas (1)	78	27-5, 16-2 ECC
4	Roberts Wesleyan	61	20-10, 13-5 ECC
5	Queens	54	13-14, 9-9 ECC
6	Molloy	47	9-19, 4-14 ECC
7	Bridgeport	44	9-19, 6-12 ECC
8	DAEMEN	41	12-17, 9-9 ECC
9	Dist. Columbia	21	4-24, 2-16 ECC
10	Mercy	17	8-20, 3-15 ECC
( ) - first place votes

AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen College women's basketball team has been picked eighth in the East Coast Conference preseason poll which was released today from conference headquarters in West Babylon, N.Y. following a vote of the league's 10 head coaches.

Daemen earned 41 points in the poll after going 12-17 overall and 9-9 in the league last season. The nine league wins were the most in a season for the Wildcats since joining the conference in 2013-14. Daemen also earned its first-ever bid to the ECC Championship Tournament last year.

Head coach Jenepher Banker enters her third season on the sidelines and must overcome the graduation of four-year standout Sarah Saba. A four-year starter for the Wildcats, Saba played in all 110 games over her career and totaled 1,774 points (16.1 ppg), 770 rebounds (7.0 rpg), 157 blocks and 157 steals. She scored in double figures in 96 of her 110 career games and ranks fifth in career points among Daemen's all-time leaders. She also ranks seventh in career rebounds and sixth in career blocks. She became the first-ever women's basketball player from Daemen to earn first-team All-ECC honors as a sophomore, and repeated the honor as a junior and senior. She averaged an ECC-best 17.7 points last year and became the first women's basketball player from Daemen to lead the league in scoring average.

Daemen returns eight players and three starters from last year. Sophomores Tiara Filbert (Batavia, N.Y.) and Caroline White (Fairport, N.Y.) are both coming off solid rookie seasons. Filbert, who sat out the 2016-17 season due to injury, played in all 29 games last year and ranked second on the team in total points (252), scoring average (8.7) and defensive rebounds (115). A one-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection, she scored in double figures 12 times—including 10 of her final 19 games. White played in all 29 games and started 22 games. She ranked third on the team in total points (249), scoring average (8.6), minutes per game (29.9), total rebounds (149) and rebounds per game (5.1). A three-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection, she also ranked second in three-pointers made (36) and scored in double figures 11 times.

Junior Sarah Young (Depew, N.Y.) made an immediate impact with the team after transferring from Division I St. Bonaventure last year. She started 28 games, averaged 6.3 points and led the team in offensive rebounds (80) and field goal percentage (.500). Junior Jordan Heinold (Hamburg, N.Y.) and senior Erin Sinnott (Owego, Ill.) both had their 2017-18 seasons cut short by injury. Heinold played in the first 13 games (7 starts) before missing the remainder of the regular-season due to injury. She averaged 7.4 points and 4.1 rebounds and ranked fourth on the team in three-pointers made (27) despite missing 15 games. She has canned 71 three-pointers and has averaged 8.4 points over her career. Sinnott started the first eight games before missing the remainder of the season due to injury. A transfer from Division I Evansville, she was averaging 7.0 points and 4.4 rebounds prior to the injury. Senior Erin Egan (Williamsville, N.Y.) played in 27 of 29 games last year and averaged 17 minutes a game off the bench.

The 2018-19 roster features six newcomers—one junior college transfer and five freshmen. Junior guard Ranaveya Richards (Albany, N.Y.) joins the Wildcats after playing the last two seasons at Finger Lakes Community College. She earned NJCAA Division III all-America honors last year after averaging 21.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 7.2 assists. Freshman guard Sydney Barney (Midland, Pa.) was a four-year starter at Beaver Area High School and earned all-district honors as a senior. Freshman forward Mickayla Ivy (Grand Rapids, Mich.) led East Grand Rapids High to a 20-4 record and its first Class A District championship since 2009 last year. Freshman guard Vivian Ladd (Johnson City, N.Y.) is a product of Johnson City High School and collected first-team all-region and fifth-team all-state (Class A) as a junior. Freshman guard Katie Price (Fredonia, N.Y.) led Fredonia High School to back-to-back Section VI Class B titles as a junior and senior. Freshman forward Katie Titus (Penfield, N.Y) enjoyed an outstanding career at regional power Our Lady of Mercy High School. A two-time first-team All-Greater Rochester selection, she led the Monarchs to 63 wins, two Section V titles and two NYSPHSAA Class AA "Final Four" appearances.

Long Island University Post topped the ECC preseason poll with eight first place votes and 98 points. The Pioneers went 22-8 overall and claimed the ECC regular-season title (17-1) last year. New York Institute of Technology (84), St. Thomas Aquinas College (83), Roberts Wesleyan College (61) and Queens College (54) round out the top five. NYIT and St. Thomas Aquinas received the other two first place votes.

In addition to announcing the preseason poll, the conference office also named LIU Post forward Sasha Patterson as the ECC Preseason Player of the Year. A 5-foot-10 graduate student, Patterson was a first-team All-ECC selection last season after averaging 16.1 points and a league-best 10.0 rebounds per game.

Daemen opens the 2018-19 season Friday (Nov. 9) against The College of Saint Rose at the Redhawks Classic hosted by Roberts Wesleyan College. The Wildcats' home opener comes Thursday, Nov. 15 against Mercyhurst University, and ECC play gets underway Wednesday, Dec. 5 at long-time rival Roberts Wesleyan.

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