College Sports Madness has announced the
2012-13 Western Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Preseason All-Conference teams, and three
members of the Seattle University squad were named. Junior Kacie Sowell (Ventura,
Calif.) was named to the First Team, junior Ashley Ward (Irvine, Calif.) was named to the Second Team, and freshman Taelor
Ross (Vancouver, Wash.) was named Preseason Freshman of the Year.
“I am proud to have three of our players
selected for preseason honors as representatives of the Western Athletic
Conference,” said head coach Joan Bonvicini. “I am confident that Kacie Sowell,
Ashley Ward, and Taelor Ross will be instrumental to our team's success this
year.”
Last season, Sowell recorded 18
double-doubles over the season and finished as the team's leading scorer,
averaging a double-double for the season (14.3 ppg, 10.2 rpg). She was also named
to the Women's Basketball Invitational All-Tournament Team, was named
Independent Women's Basketball Player of the Year, as well as CSM Independent
Player of the Week six times over the season. Nationally, she also tied for
ninth in NCAA Division I in double-doubles (18) and fifth in the nation in
field-goal percentage (56.6 percent).
Ward finished the 2011-12 season
averaging third on the team in scoring (10.3 ppg), assists (69), and made
three-pointers (23). Nationally, she finished 26th in NCAA DI
free-throw percentage (84.9 percent).
Ross is a 2012 graduate of St. Mary's Academy
in Portland, Ore., where she was a two-year varsity starter and helped lead her
team to the 2011 and 2012 Mountain Hood Conference Playoffs. Basketball runs in
her family, as she is the younger sister of former University of Washington
standout, Terrence Ross.
The full list of WAC Preseason All-Conference Teams is as follows:
Coach of the Year: Jerry Finkbeiner (Utah State)
Player of the Year: Diamond Ford (Texas State)
Freshman of the Year: Taelor Ross (Seattle U)
First Team: Kacie Sowell (Seattle U), Diamond Ford (Texas State), Alyssa Charlston (Idaho), Whitney Frazier (Louisiana Tech), Banna Diop (Utah State)
Second Team: Krissy Karr (Idaho), Devyn Christensen (Utah State), Stacey Barr (Idaho), Ashley Ward (Seattle U), Brittany Lewis (Louisiana Tech)
The Redhawks will play two home exhibition
games, hosting Simon Fraser on Thursday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. and Western Washington
on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 4 p.m. before opening the 2012-13 regular season versus
Pacific on Friday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m.
