Men's and Women's Hoops Teams Ranked No. 1 in DIII News

St. Louis, Mo., October 7, 2009 – The Washington University in St. Louis defending NCAA Division III national champion men’s basketball team and the 2009 national runner-up women’s basketball team were both voted to the top spot of the DIII News Preseason Top-25 poll, as announced by the publication on Wednesday.

The Washington U. women’s basketball team posted a 26-5 overall record in 2008-09, and advanced to the national championship game where they fell to George Fox University, 60-53; it was the second NCAA championship game appearance in three seasons for the Bears. Washington U. was also 13-1 in University Athletic Association (UAA) action, claiming its 18th conference championship in school history.

George Fox is ranked No. 2 in the preseason top-25, with Hope College, Amherst College and Scranton College rounding out the top-five. Fellow UAA members Brandeis University (No. 10) and the University of Chicago (No. 16) also landed in the poll.

The Bears return four starters and 14 letterwinners from last year’s squad, including graduate student Jaimie McFarlin and senior Janice Evans, both of whom earned NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team honors. Evans was second on the team in scoring (8.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.2 rpg), while McFarlin was third in scoring (7.8 ppg) and led the team in rebounding (7.6 rpg).

Starting guard/forward Zoë Unruh (8.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg) and point guard Alex Hoover (5.1 ppg, 3.7 apg) join Evans and McFarlin as returning starters for the 2009-10 season.

The WU men’s team returns four starters and 15 letterwinners from last year’s national championship team. Washington U. was 29-2 last year, defeating Richard Stockton College, 61-52, in the national championship game. The Bears also went 13-1 in UAA action, capturing the ninth conference title in school history.

The WU women’s team opens the new season on Sunday, Nov. 15, when it hosts Augustana College in the WU Field House in St. Louis, Mo., at 1 p.m. The men’s squad will face MacMurray College in its season opener, also at home on Nov. 15, with tip-off scheduled for 3 p.m.

2009 DIII News Division III Top-25 Poll
1. Washington University
2. George Fox
3. Hope
4. Amherst
5. Scranton
6. William Patterson
7. DePauw
8. Capital
9. St. Benedict
10. Brandeis
11. Illinois Wesleyan
12. Randolph-Macon
13. Muhlenberg
14. DeSales
15. Keene State
16. Chicago
17. Southern Maine
18. Hardin-Simmons
19. Marymount
20. Calvin
21. Howard Payne
22. Baldwin-Wallace
23. Wisconsin-Stevens Point
24. Bowdoin
25. Emmanuel