Orangeburg, NY (11/9/11)  The Dominican College women's basketball team was picked to finish fourth according to the 2011-12 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) women's basketball preseason poll. The voting was conducted by the 14 CACC head coaches.  Caldwell received 12 of a possible 14 first-place votes to top the North Division, while Goldey-Beacom was picked first on eight ballots to top the South Division voting.

Caldwell returns eight players from last year's squad that tied the program record for wins in a season with 21 and won a share of the CACC North Division title with Bloomfield College. First team All-CACC guard Torey Jones averaged a team-high 17.4 points per-game en route to earning a spot on the Daktronics All-East Region second team. Also back is sophomore forward Jeanette Anderson, who was chosen the CACC Rookie of the Year after averaging 13.9 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Other key returnees in the frontcourt include junior center Gillian Felix (7.7 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.7 bpg), and senior forward Kaitlyn Lambert (6.4 ppg), who was the CACC Rookie of the Year in 2009. Senior guards Stephanie Cadet and Willeen Capehart return to provide experience and consistency to the Cougar backcourt. Last season Caldwell advanced to the semifinals of the CACC Tournament for the first time since winning the title in 2003.

Goldey-Beacom is the reigning CACC champion after upending Holy Family in last year's finale and earning a spot in the NCAA East Region Tournament. The squad returns nine of 13 players, including its top-two scorers in senior Jacinda Jones and junior Irene Hudson. GBC also welcomes back the conference's third leading rebounder, junior Devonne Richardson. Jones ranks on the school's top-10 list in five different statistical categories, including fifth place with 1,170 career points. She has been named second team All-CACC two years running. Hudson averaged 12.2 points per-game and ranked ninth in the league in field-goal percentage (.460) last season.  Richardson has come close to averaging a double-double in points and rebounds in each of the past two seasons. In 2010-11, she pulled down 10.0 rebounds per-game and also averaged 9.9 points and 3.27 assists per-game. She finished the season with eight double-doubles, two of which came in the semi-finals and finals of the CACC Tournament, earning her a spot on the All-Tournament Team.

Bloomfield collected two first-place votes in the North to finish second in the poll, and returns five of its top seven scorers from a year ago, including All-CACC first team selection, guard Vanessa Lamison. Lamison averaged 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per-game and led the conference with 3.43 steals per-contest. Dre'Shonda Williams checked in with 7.6 ppg last season, while Shaniqua Bacote and Ivettlis Castro tossed in 6.8 and 6.6 ppg, respectively. Castro played her best basketball when it counted, scoring 12 points in a CACC Tournament win over Dominican and 13 in a loss to Goldey-Beacom in the semi-finals. She was named to the All-Tournament team for her efforts. 

Felician was picked third in the North and set school records for winning percentage (.667), conference wins (12) and winning streak (8) last season. Among the key losses from that squad is Quay Baskerville, who in just a two-year career moved among Felician's top 10 all-time scorers.

Holy Family was second in the South voting, just three points behind Goldey-Beacom. Two key components from last year's squad return, including All-CACC selections senior Lauren Peters and junior Erin Mann.  Peters earned All-CACC third team honors for the second straight season after averaging 7.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.  She enters this season ranked seventh all-time at Holy Family with 312 career assists. Mann is coming off a career season, as she earned All-CACC honors for the first time in her career.  A second team selection, Mann set new career-highs in a number of categories including points (389), rebounds (220), steals (41) and blocks (58).  Holy Family is ranked 18th in the Preseason USA Today/ESPN Division II Top-25 Coaches' Poll.

Philadelphia was selected third in the South poll with 75 points. The team returns eight players, including All-CACC third team selection Christine Wooding (13.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg and 52 blocks in 2010-11). Also back is guard Stephanie Agger (12.4 ppg, 115 assists, 59 steals) and forward Kristin Blye (11.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg).

The season commences this weekend with nine teams in action. Included in the weekend's games is Holy Family's match-up against No. 2 nationally-ranked Bentley University on Saturday at 1:00 pm at the UMass-Lowell Tip-Off Classic. Defending CACC champ Goldey-Beacom will face Indiana (Pa.) on the road Saturday at 2:00 pm. Concordia College and Post University will both play at the Saint Rose Tournament in Albany, N.Y.

The 2011-12 CACC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll is below.

2011-12 CACC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll

North Division

South Division

() – first place votes