Women's basketball chosen sixth in PAC Preseason Poll

Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director

• Complete PAC Preseason Women's Basketball Poll

GREENVILLE, Pa. (Nov. 10) – A season after posting its first winning record against league opponents since 2011-12, the Bethany College women's basketball team was selected to finish sixth in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Preseason Coaches' Poll announced Thursday afternoon.

Perennial league-favorite Thomas More, playing in its final season as a member of the PAC, was chosen to win the conference title. Washington & Jefferson came in second, while Saint Vincent, Waynesburg and Grove City rounded out the top-five.

Bethany returns four starters from last season's team that went 10-8 in the PAC, 12-14 overall and regularly only had nine healthy players on hand. Second-year Head Coach Brian Sansom returns six players total and restocked his team with 13 freshman who will be vying for playing time.

The increased depth should benefit senior forward Kelsea Daugherty (Newport, Ohio/Frontier), a three-time All-PAC honoree who played 34.2 minutes per game last season. Daugherty averaged a double-double last season with 18.2 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, both good for second in the conference. The Newport, Ohio native currently stands eighth all-time at Bethany with 1,239 career points and fifth all-time with 720 rebounds.

The Bison also return junior guard Sammie Weiss (Taylorstown, Pa./McGuffey), who finished third on the team with 16.4 points and 4.9 rebounds in 16 games last year. Weiss transferred from Division II California (Pa.) during the middle of the season and expects to play a big role for the team with a full offseason at Bethany under her belt.

Sansom will also welcome back senior forward Kelsi Settle (Sebring, Ohio/McKinley) and junior guard Ashley Duthie (Madison, Ohio/Madison). Settle started all 26 games for the Bison and finished ninth in the PAC with 7.6 rebounds per game, while Duthie started 25 games and averaged 7.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Settle and Duthie tied for the team lead with 2.7 assists per game, good for seventh in the conference.

Bethany will open the season on Friday, November 17 when they head to Frostburg, Maryland to play in the Jim Crawley Tournament hosted by Frostburg State. The Bison will take on host-Frostburg State at 6 p.m. in an opening round game and play in either the consolation or championship game the follow afternoon.