SALEM, Va. - The Emory & Henry College Women's Basketball Team has been picked to finish fourth in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference this season, ODAC officials announced Thursday. The release came as part of the league's annual media day held on the site of the Salem Civic Center. The poll is voted on by the 12 head coaches in the league.
The Wasps earn a fourth-place spot in the poll after reaching the semifinals of the ODAC Tournament for the second year in a row and posting a (19-8, 11-5 ODAC) record last season. E&H made it back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2002-03 and won double-digit conference games for the first time since 2004-05.
E&H started the year with a 6-0 record and also won nine of 11 games between January 3 and February 17. It is the highest postseason ranking for the Wasps in over 10 years. Last season, Emory & Henry was tabbed to finish fifth and turned that into a tie for third place. The Wasps also earn a first-place vote for the first time since the 2008-09 campaign.
Guilford College, the 2016 ODAC Tournament runner-up, is picked to finish first with nine first place votes (116 pts.). Lynchburg College is second (107; one FPV) while Washington and Lee University (98; one FPV) is third. Emory & Henry’s 92 points and one first-place vote puts the Wasps in fourth while Virginia Wesleyan College (73) and Roanoke College (70) round out the top half.
Emory & Henry returns just two starters from last year's team, but are led by senior guard Megan Jacoby (Richmond, Va.) and sophomore guard Taylor Blevins (Abingdon, Va.), who were each named to the All-ODAC Second Team while Blevins earned ODAC, Virginia and South Region Rookie of the Year honors. Also back for the Wasps are senior guard Asja Jenkins (Richmond, Va.) and junior guard Chloe Harris (Bristol, Va.), who each started several games last season.
In addition to seven other returners, E&H welcomes six freshmen including two who received all-state honors as seniors last year.
E&H will open 2016-17 with an exhibition at East Tennessee State University on Sunday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. The Wasps will have their first taste of the regular season on Tuesday, November 15 when they host the Cougars of Averett University at 8:00 p.m. The contest will be the second game of a doubleheader with the Wasps’ men’s basketball team. Emory & Henry’s first ODAC contest is scheduled for Saturday, November 26 at Eastern Mennonite University while its first home conference game is slated for Saturday, December 3 against Shenandoah University at 2:00 p.m.
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2016-17 ODAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
PRESEASON POLL
(#) Denotes First Place Votes
| 1. Guilford (9) | 116 pts. |
| 2. Lynchburg (1) | 107 pts. |
| 3. Washington and Lee (1) | 98 pts. |
| 4. Emory & Henry (1) | 92 pts. |
| 5. Virginia Wesleyan |
73 pts. |
| 6. Roanoke |
70 pts. |
| 7. Eastern Mennonite |
67 pts. |
| 8. Bridgewater |
61 pts. |
| 9. Randolph-Macon |
43 pts. |
| 10. Shenandoah |
31 pts. |
| 11. Hollins |
18 pts. |
| 12. Randolph |
16 pts. |
-photo courtesy of Keith Lucas/Sideline Media