Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Picked Second in Patriot League Preseason Poll
10/20/2006 8:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Oct. 20, 2006
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell women's basketball team is one of the favorites to win the Patriot League title this year, according to the league's preseason poll, which was released Friday morning by the league office. The Bison are predicted to finish second, along with Holy Cross. Last year's champion, Army, was chosen first by a narrow margin over Bucknell and Holy Cross.
Additionally, it was announced that junior forward Hope Foster (Washington, D.C./Dunbar) has been named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team. The preseason poll, player of the year and all-league voting was done by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
Bucknell and Holy Cross each received 85 points in the voting, while Army garnered 87. The Black Knights received a league-high seven first-place votes, while the Bison earned six. The Crusaders grabbed the final three first-place votes. Lehigh was chosen a distant fourth with 48 points, while American (47), Navy (42), Colgate (35) and Lafayette (19) rounded out the voting.
The second-place showing is the highest the Bison have been picked in the preseason since 2002-03 when they were also picked to finish second.
Joining Foster on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team were Army's Cara Enright, Kaitlyn Foley and Brittany Keil of Holy Cross and Lehigh's Adrienne Blount.
Foster was a First Team All-Patriot League selection last year when she averaged 10.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. She also earned Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year honors behind her career-high 95 blocks, which paced the conference.
A defensive presence in the paint, the 6-2 Foster has 167 career blocks to rank sixth in Patriot League annals. She already tops the Bucknell career list despite embarking on the beginning of her junior campaign. Foster, who saw her string of at least one block in 33 straight games end last January, ranked eighth in the nation in rejections last year with 3.3 per game.
A member of the Patriot League All-Rookie Team in 2004-05, Foster finished second in the league in rebounding last year. Her 265 boards are the sixth-highest single-season mark in program history.
One of two Bison to start every game last year, Foster's best game of the season came against High Point at the Air Force Classic. She netted a career-high 24 points, grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds and tied the Bucknell single-game record with seven blocks.
Foster continues Bucknell's run of Preseason All-Patriot League selections. In each of head coach Kathy Fedorjaka's 10 years there has been at least one Bison honored by the league in its preseason awards. Current senior Lindsey Hollobaugh (Loganton, Pa./Central Mountain) earned Preseason All-Patriot League plaudits each of the last two years.
Last year Bucknell posted an 18-11 record, including 10-4 in Patriot League play to tie Holy Cross for second in the final standings. The Bison advanced to the semifinals of the Patriot League Tournament for the fourth time in five years and posted the largest win improvement in program history.
Bucknell began preseason practice last Friday and will open its 2006-07 campaign Friday, Nov. 10, when it hosts Hampton at 7 p.m. at Sojka Pavilion.
