Chippewas Picked to Win MAC
10/29/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich.- When you return four starters including the league's reigning player of the year from a division champion, this is what you get: Expectations.
The Central Michigan women's basketball team was picked Wednesday as the Mid-American Conference Tournament champion in the preseason poll of the league's 12 coaches.
The Chippewas received 10 of a possible 12 votes from league coaches predicting that they will win the conference tournament in March.
CMU senior Crystal Bradford, last year's MAC Player of the Year, was named to the five-player All-MAC West Team.
"The preseason poll is exactly that, it's the preseason," said coach Sue Guevara, who led the Chippewas to their fourth consecutive 20-win season in 2013-14 and a first-place finish in the MAC West. "I think if you look at it, and look at who we have returning, that shows a lot of respect for our returning players and what we accomplished last year but we all know that's last year. "
In addition to Bradford, the Chippewas return starters Jas'Mine Bracey, Kerby Tamm and Jessica Green.
"We have a lot of experience, just like a lot of these teams do, but I think it has taken our program a minute to get where we are," Guevara said. "In a certain respect I appreciate the coaches, that they can see what we have and we just know we always get everyone's best shot, and we have to give everyone our best shot."
CMU was selected to win the West by 11 of the 12 coaches. Ball State, which finished second in the West poll, received the other first-place vote.
Western Michigan was picked to finish third in the West, followed by Toledo, Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois.
Buffalo garnered eight first-place votes to finish atop the MAC East preseason poll, followed by Bowling Green, Akron, Ohio, Miami (Ohio) and Kent State. Bowling Green received three first-place votes, Ohio one.
Ball State and Buffalo were the only other two teams to receive a vote in the Tournament Champion poll.
Joining Bradford on the All-MAC West Team are Nathalie Fontaine of Ball State, Cha Sweeney of Eastern Michigan, Inma Zanoguera of Toledo and Miracle Woods of Western Michigan.
Comprising the All-MAC East Team are Sina King of Akron, Erica Donovan of Bowling Green, Kiyanna Black of Ohio, and Buffalo's Mackenzie Loesing and Kristen Sharkey.
The Chippewas open the season on Sunday, Nov. 16, at McGuirk Arena against UMass.
