Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Picked First in Patriot League Preseason Poll
10/24/2007 8:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Oct. 24, 2007
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Coming off a 20-win season and its first Patriot League regular-season title in more than a decade, the Bucknell women's basketball team was picked first in the Patriot League Preseason Poll, announced Wednesday by the league office. Additionally, senior Hope Foster was named the Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year, while junior Amanda Brown earned a place on the Preseason All-League Team.
Bucknell, which went 20-11 overall and 12-2 in the Patriot League last year, earned 10 first-place votes and 92 points in the poll. Army, the second-place team in the final league standings last year, was picked second with four first-place votes and 83 points.
Holy Cross and American earned the final two first-place votes and totaled 77 and 62 points, respectively. Lehigh (46 points), Lafayette (33), Navy (33) and Colgate (22) rounded out the list.
The defending Patriot League Player of the Year, Foster was joined on the Preseason All-League Team by Brown, Army's Cara Enright, American's Liz Hayes and Bethany O'Dell from Holy Cross.
Foster, who became the second Bison to earn Patriot League Player of the Year honors last season, is no stranger to individual accolades from the Patriot League. She was a member of the All-Rookie Team as a freshman, is a two-time First Team All-Patriot League selection and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2005-06.
A Washington, D.C., native, Foster led the team in scoring, and ranked fifth in the Patriot League in that category with 13.2 points per game last year. She also ranked first in the Patriot League in blocked shots (93), second in rebounding (7.9), second in field goal percentage (.515) and ninth in free throw percentage (.762).
Foster enters the 2007-08 campaign with 260 blocked shots, just 49 shy of the Patriot League record. She has ranked among the national leaders in blocked shots in each of her first three years, including ninth last year. The holder of the top three spots on Bucknell's single-season blocked shot list, Foster's career total is nearly double Marie Kocornik's second-place total of 132 on the career ledger.
Amanda Brown was named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team.  |
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Overall last season, Brown finished second on the Bison in scoring with 12.2 points per game, which was good for eighth in the Patriot League. She also finished among the Patriot League leaders with 79 assists and 58 steals.
Bucknell, which had never before been picked first in the Patriot League Preseason Poll, will open its 2007-08 season Nov. 9 when it plays at St. Bonaventure. The Bison will open their home slate Tuesday, Nov. 13, against James Madison.
