BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The Concord University women's basketball team has been pegged sixth in the Mountain East Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll that was released Tuesday morning.
THE POLL
| Place |
Team (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. |
Glenville State (8) |
118 |
| 2. |
Charleston (3) |
111 |
| 3. |
West Liberty (1) |
102 |
| 4. |
Fairmont State |
84 |
| 5. |
West Virginia State |
81 |
| 6. |
Concord |
71 |
| 7. |
Notre Dame |
69 |
| 8. |
Frostburg State |
49 |
| 9. |
Wheeling |
39 |
| 10. |
Alderson Broaddus |
30 |
| 11. |
West Virginia Wesleyan |
20 |
| 12. |
Davis & Elkins |
18 |
2021-21 REVIEW
Concord obtained its third straight 20-win season in the last three fully-played seasons as it finished it with a mark of 20-11. The Mountain Lions won 11 of 13 games at home last winter.
Riley Fitzwater was named an All-American for the second straight season and former head coach
Kenny Osborne went over 300 career wins at CU. The Mountain Lions finished fourth in the MEC regular season before bowing out in the MEC Quarterfinals in March.
2022-23 SCHEDULE
CU opens the season at the MEC-PSAC Challenge November 11-12 against Winston-Salem State and Clarion in Fairmont, West Virginia. Concord plays Mercer County rival Bluefield State on the road November 15. The first game and first conference contest is November 19 versus Charleston. Two of three games in December are at home: December 3 versus Notre Dame and December 6 against Fairmont State. 2023 begins at Emory & Henry January 2 and the resumption of MEC play is at home with West Liberty January 4. The Mountain Lions play defending national champion Glenville State January 21 on the road, part of a three-game road trip. Four of the final six games of the campaign are at home.
THE RETURNERS
Concord is charged with replacing the All-American Fitzwater and three-year starting point guard
Gracie Robinson. However, the Maroon and Gray has the active career MEC leader in scoring in graduate guard
Maggie Guynn who has tallied 1,246 points. Guynn landed on the All-MEC Honorable Mention Team after averaging 10.9 points per game last season and is a two-time All-MEC selection overall. Junior guard
Maddie Ratcliff scored 10.0 points per game while fellow junior guard
Jaisah Smith finished just shy of double figures scoring (9.6). Senior guard
Jazz Blankenship netted a team0best 51 three-pointers and scored a career-high nine points per game. Graduate forward
Alexis Phillips elevated her game to average 7.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Senior guard
Ashton Funderburg averaged 16 minutes per game off the bench as the backup point guard to Robinson. Overall, CU brings back 69.4 percent of its scoring and four players with at least 60 career games played: Guynn (104), Blankenship (77), Funderburg (76) and Phillips (60).
THE NEWCOMERS
With Osborne's retirement, long-time assistant coach
Tesla Southcott begins her first season as the head coach after eight years as the program's assistant. Her staff includes two-time all-region player and 1,700-point scorer
Madison Heller (2016-20),
Michael Bean Jr. and
Lily Griffith. The new players to the program include the lone junior college transfer
Drea Betts (Wytheville, Va./Odessa CC) along with freshmen
Taryn Blankenship (Dublin, Va./Pulaski),
Aubree Casteel (Deer Park, Texas/Pasadena Memorial),
Addison Frymoyer (Dayton, Ohio/Miamisburg)
Josie Montgomery (Chloe, W.Va./Calhoun County),
Hannah Perdue (Princeton, W.Va./PikeView),
Kennedy Scales (Salem, Va./Salem),
Abbie Smith (Little Hocking, Ohio/Warren Local) and
Callie Smith (Deer Park, Texas/Deer Park).
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