Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Picked Seventh in Preseason Patriot League Poll
10/28/2003 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Oct. 28, 2003
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell women's basketball team has been picked to finish seventh in the conference in a preseason poll of head coaches and sports information directors, the Patriot League office announced Tuesday. In addition, senior guard/forward Desire Almind (Blairstown, N.J./North Warren Regional) has been selected to the Preseason All-Patriot League team.
Holy Cross, the winner of seven of the last nine championships, was picked to reclaim the Patriot League title in the preseason poll. The Crusaders garnered 14 of 16 first-place votes and 98 points overall. American finished second in the voting, earning one first-place nomination and 84 points. Navy was third with 59 points and one first-place vote, while Colgate (56) finished just three points behind the Midshipmen for fourth in the voting.
Only two points separated the fifth, sixth and seventh place teams. Army came in at fifth, picking up 46 points, and Lehigh fell in at sixth with 45 points. Bucknell earned 44 points in the poll for the seventh place ranking. Lafayette rounded out the poll with 16 points.
Almind earns her first selection to the preseason all-league squad after closing out her junior campaign with a spot on the All-Patriot League Second-Team. The 6-0 guard/forward finished the 2002-03 season second on the team in scoring with a 15.4 points per game average. She was the squad leader, and third among conference players, with 9.0 rebounds per game.
Almind had an impressive run in the final three games of the season, pulling down a career-high 15 rebounds in BU's regular-season finale against Colgate. In the very next game, a 79-69 overtime win against Navy in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Tournament, she grabbed 19 caroms to set a single-game tournament record. In Bucknell's final game of the season, Almind registered her third-straight double-double with 10 rebounds against Holy Cross in the semifinals.
For her career, Almind stands in 30th on the Patriot League all-time scoring list with 1,079 points through 90 games.
Bucknell ended its 2002-03 season with a 13-15 overall record and a mark of 7-7 in Patriot League play.
The Bison open their 2003-04 campaign with a 7:00 p.m. contest at West Virginia on Friday, November 21.
| Institution | Points (1st) | 2002-03 Overall | 2002-03 Patriot League | |
| Holy Cross | 98 (14) | 24-8 | 13-1 | |
| American | 84 (1) | 18-11 | 10-4 | |
| Navy | 59 (1) | 16-12 | 6-8 | |
| Colgate | 56 | 9-18 | 4-10 | |
| Army | 46 | 15-16 | 5-9 | |
| Lehigh | 45 | 12-15 | 9-5 | |
| Bucknell | 44 | 13-15 | 7-7 | |
| Lafayette | 16 | 3-25 | 2-12 | |
2003-04 Preseason All-Patriot League Team:
| Name, Institution | Year | Pos. | Ht. | Hometown/Secondary School |
| Courtney Davidson, Navy | Sr. | G | 5-10 | New Oxford, Pa./New Oxford |
| Katie Macfarlane, Army | Sr. | F | 6-0 | Clarence, N.Y./Clarence Central |
| Chanel Hunt, American | Jr. | F | 6-0 | Raleigh, N.C./Ravenscroft |
| Maggie Fontana | Jr. | G | 5-11 | Barrington, Ill./Fremd |
| Desire Almind, Bucknell | Sr. | G/F | 6-0 | Blairstown, N.J./North Warren Regional |
Preseason Player-of-the-Year: Katie Macfarlane, Army, Sr., Forward
