ELMHURST, Ill. ? For the second straight season, South Dakota State was tabbed as the favorite to win the 2009-10 Summit League Women's Basketball Championship as selected by the annual preseason poll of league coaches, SIDs and media. The Jackrabbits placed four players on the Preseason All-League Second Team and collected all but two first-place votes.

 

Oakland placed second in the poll with one first-place vote, while North Dakota State held down the third slot. Oral Roberts garnered the other first-place vote and was fourth, followed by IPFW in fifth, just two points ahead of IUPUI, who placed sixth. UMKC, Western Illinois, Southern Utah and Centenary rounded out the poll.

 

UMKC guard Chazny Morris was named the Preseason Player of the Year. She was joined on the first team by North Dakota State guard Inger Hodgson, IPFW guard Chelsey Jackson, Oakland guard Melissa Jeltema, Oral Roberts guard/forward Janae Voelker and IUPUI center Julia Whitted.

 

Named to the second team were Oral Roberts guard Georgia Jones and a quartet of South Dakota State players in forwards Maria Boever and Ketty Cornemann, guard/forward Kristin Rotert and guard Jill Young.

 

The Jacks return four starters from a team that made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, a feat accomplished only one other time by a Summit League team, and finished the season ranked No. 16 in the nation.  Sixth Woman of the Year and All-Newcomer Team member Young is the top returning scorer for SDSU with 10.2 ppg. Young led the league and finished third nationally by shooting 46.1 percent from behind the arc. Honorable mention selection Boever and all-league second team honoree Cornemann are two of three seniors on the squad and averaged 10.0 and 8.2 ppg, respectively. Rotert, a 2008-09 honorable mention selection, also averaged double figures with 10.1 ppg last season for reigning Coach of the Year Aaron Johnston.

 

Summit League runner-up Oakland will rely on Jeltema and forward/center Brittany Carnago to help take it over the top. Jeltema, a second team all-league selection, finished the season with 14.0 ppg and 8.4 rpg and was second in league games with 9.5 rpg. Carnago returns for her junior campaign after leading the league in blocks with 2.7 per game, while all-newcomer team selection guard Sharise Calhoun also returns for the Golden Grizzlies.

 

Selected third, the Bison return all-league second team member Hodgson and her 12.6 ppg to the lineup, along with all-newcomer team selection guard Katie Birkel, who averaged 10.0 points and 3.1 assists last season. Second-year head coach Carolyn DeHoff also welcomes back forward Abby Plucker, the team's leading scorer at 14.2 ppg through her first nine games before an injury ended her season.

 

Defending Summit League Newcomer of the Year Jones and all-league first team selection Voelker lead Oral Roberts into the 2009-10 season. Jones led the league with a 1.7 assist/turnover ratio, while Voelker had a team-leading 16.5 ppg and 9.4 rpg, both of which ranked second in the league.

 

Picked fifth in the preseason poll, IPFW returns all five starters from its fifth-place finish last season. The Mastodons will be led by all-league second team member Jackson and all-newcomer selection forward/center Eva Ivanova. Jackson averaged 13.3 ppg, while Ivanova scored 8.5 and grabbed 4.1 rebounds per game.

 

Led by first team all-league honoroee Whitted, IUPUI will be one of the League's younger squads this season. Whitted was second on the team in scoring (13.8) and rebounds (8.4) last season behind three-time Defensive Player of the Year Jernisha Cann.

 

Summit League Preseason Player of the Year Morris leads a cast of seven returning letterwinners for UMKC. Morris led the league last season with 17.5 ppg and led the team with 6.3 rpg. Western Illinois was picked eighth and returns guard/forward Jordon O'Brien, who averaged 9.3 ppg last season for the Fighting Leathernecks.

 

The Thunderbirds return four starters for first-year head coach JR Payne. Forward Challis Pascucci is the leading returning scorer with 9.0 ppg, while guard Kaila Goff led the league in assists with a 3.9 average. Centenary returns nine letterwinners, including its leading scorers in center Anne Farrell (8.7) and forward Ashley Jackson (8.4).

 

The 2009-10 campaign begins on Nov. 13, while The Summit League opens its 18-game, double round-robin schedule on Dec. 3. The 2010 Summit League Women's Basketball Championship returns to Sioux Falls, S.D., March 6-9.

 

2009-10 PRESEASON POLL VOTING

Rank	School (First-Place Votes)	Points
1.	South Dakota State (25)	419
2.	Oakland (1)	365
3.	North Dakota State	318
4.	Oral Roberts (1)	289
5.	IPFW	214
6.	IUPUI	212
7.	UMKC	196
8.	Western Illinois	160
9.	Southern Utah	119
10.	Centenary	48

 

PRESEASON ALL-LEAGUE

Player of the Year

Chazny Morris, UMKC

 

First Team

Inger Hodgson, G, North Dakota State

Chelsey Jackson, G, IPFW

Melissa Jeltema, G, Oakland

Chazny Morris, G, UMKC

Janae Voelker, G/F, Oral Roberts

Julia Whitted, C, IUPUI

 

Second Team

Maria Boever, F, South Dakota State

Ketty Cornemann, F, South Dakota State

Georgia Jones, G, Oral Roberts

Kristin Rotert, G/F, South Dakota State

Jill Young, G, South Dakota State