Women's Basketball Checks In At Number Nine In ECC Preseason Coaches Poll

Central Islip, N.Y. – Fresh off their second-ever ECC title in the 2014-15 season, the Queens College women's basketball team has been selected as the favorite to win the conference championship once again this season. The conference's coaches have also selected Queens junior guard/forward, Madison Rowland (Albany, N.Y.) as the Preseason Player of the Year.

Queens, who posted a 22-8 record a season ago, won their first ECC Championship since 2009 with a heart-stopping, come-from-behind victory over NYIT in the final of the ECC Women's Basketball Championship. With nearly its entire roster back for a chance at a repeat, the Knights earned nine of 11 first-place votes to top the league's preseason poll with 117 points.

Among the returners for Queens are All-Conference honorees Kristen Korzevinski, MacKenzie Rowland, and the ECC Preseason Player of the Year, Madison Rowland. Rowland was the ECC Player of the Year and Daktronics/DII CCA All-America selection after putting together one of the best seasons in conference history a season ago. In 29 games, she averaged 20.9 points per game, 9.9 rebounds per game, and 4.1 assists per game. Rowland also led all of Division II for the second time in as many seasons with 4.3 steals per game. Her numbers we're among the top-five in the conference in nearly every category and have her listed multiple times in the ECC's single season record book. Her point, point per game, steal, and field goals made numbers all were among the top-10 all-time in league history. In addition, Rowland topped the 1,000 point mark as a sophomore, with the highlight coming in a win over NYIT on February 19.  

NYIT, who finished with 20 wins and fell to Queens in last year's ECC Final, received the final two first place votes to finish in second in the preseason poll with 107 points. University of the District of Columbia, the defending ECC Regular Season Champions and NCAA Tournament participant, and Roberts Wesleyan, fresh off their first-ever ECC Championship appearance in their first season of eligibility, tied with 86 to tie for third place in the poll.

2015-2016 ECC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll

( ) - First Place Votes

Preseason Player of the Year – Madison Rowland, Queens (5-10, Jr., G/F, Albany, N.Y.)