BEAVERTON, Ore. – Guilford College’s women’s basketball team is ranked 11th in the 2012-13 Women’s D-III News Preseason Top 25 Poll. The Quakers were also named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference’s (ODAC) team to beat in 2012-13 by the publication.
Calvin College has the poll’s top spot, followed by 2012 national runner-up George Fox University. The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point is third. Defending national champion Illinois Wesleyan University and St. Thomas (Minn.) University round out the top five.
Guilford head coach Stephanie Flamini returns 11 letterwinners, including four starters, from last year’s 22-7 club that posted Guilford’s best record since 2002. The Quakers went 16-4 in the ODAC and knocked off the top two seeds in the ODAC Tournament to win their third league title. Guilford made its third NCAA Division III Tournament appearance and first since 2002.
Among the veterans is junior forward Gabby Oglesby (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mount Tabor), who earned 2011-12 Fourth Team All-America recognition from Women’s D-III News and was a D3hoops.com First Team All-South honoree. Oglesby collected the ODAC’s Player of the Year Award and was named Most Outstanding Player of the league tournament. She led the Quakers in scoring (14.7 ppg.), rebounding (7.9 rpg.), field-goal percentage (.514) and blocked shots (2.3 bpg.).
Women’s D-III News also picked Guilford as the ODAC preseason favorite, followed by Eastern Mennonite University, which is rated 22nd in the preseason ranking.
The Quakers opens the season Nov. 15 when they host Greensboro College at 7:00 p.m.
Women’s DIII News Preseason Top 25 Poll
1. Calvin
2. George Fox
3. Wis. Stevens Point
4. Illinois Wesleyan
5. St. Thomas
6. King’s
7. Emory
8. Mount Union
9. Lebanon Valley
10. Thomas More
11. Guilford
12. Tufts
13. Hope
14. Juniata
15. Babson
16. Washington (Mo.)
17. Messiah
18. Carthage
19. Johns Hopkins
20. Ithaca
21. East. Mennonite
22. Amherst
23. Buffalo St.
24. Catholic
25. Wis. Whitewater