Lincoln University Athletics - Women's Basketball Picked Seventh In Preseason Poll

Women's Basketball Picked Seventh In Preseason Poll

Brian Kortz, Sports Information Director

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10/20/2009 4:37:55 PM

WACO, TX. -- The University of the Incarnate Word women’s basketball team has been picked to win the 2009-2010 Heartland Conference title in the annual preseason poll of the league’s head coaches and sports information directors, while the Blue Tigers landed in the seventh slot.

Lincoln returns their top two scorers from a season ago in Ashley Norris and Paris Campbell. Norris led the team in scoring (15.9) and minutes (34.9) per game. In addition, Norris tallied 36 steals, 23 assists and averaged six rebounds for the Blue Tigers. Campbell wasn’t far behind Norris, as she was second on the team in scoring per game (10.0), and minutes (29.5), while adding 4.7 rebounds per game, 24 steals, 34 assists and 18 blocks.

The defending conference champion UIW women garnered 133 total points in the poll and tallied 11 first-place votes. The Cardinals edged out cross-town rival St. Mary’s which had 123 points and four first-place votes.

Under head coach Angela Lawson, the UIW women ended their 2008-09 campaign at 21-9, their best record in 10 years. The Cardinals finished the regular season second in the Heartland Conference and went to the league’s post-season championship tournament seeded second. The Cardinals then upset favorite St. Mary’s to capture the 2009 title. With the crown, Incarnate Word advanced to the regional tournament for the first time in school history.

The Cardinals will be led by senior guard Nia Torru, who was last season’s Heartland Conference Player of the Year and a First Team All-Conference selection. The Houston, Texas, native averaged 18.2 points per game last season.

St. Mary’s strong finish in the poll comes after a 24-6 finish in the 08-09 season, which included a second place finish in the Heartland Conference tournament and trip to the NCAA’s. The Rattlers were ranked as high as No. 21 in the national polls.

With 117 points, St. Edward’s is picked to finish third in the league. The Hilltoppers had three first-place votes and were just four points behind St. Mary’s.

Newman had 70 points to come in at fourth, followed by Texas A&M International (60), Texas-Permian Basin (64), Lincoln (43) and Oklahoma Panhandle State (29).

The 2009-10 season begins in mid-November. The Heartland Conference Basketball Championship Tournament is set for March 4-6, 2010, at the site of the highest-seeded team. The winner of the conference championship earns an automatic berth into the NCAA Division II national tournament.

Heartland Conference
2009-2010 Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll

Institution	Points (1^st Place)	2008-2009 Record
Incarnate Word	133 (11)	21-9 (11-3)
St. Mary’s	123 (4)	24-6 (12-2)
St. Edward’s	117 (3)	15-13 (9-5)
Newman	70	8-19 (5-9)
Texas A&M Intl.	69	13-15 (10-4)
Texas-Permian Basin	64	7-18 (5-9)
Lincoln	43	4-22 (3-11)
Okla. Panhandle State	29	3-24 (1-13)

Feb

March 2010

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Did You Know...

8 time Pro Bowler Lemar Parrish, played football at Lincoln University.

Running Back Leo Lewis, who was nicknamed the Lincoln Locomotive and the Minnesota Express for the Vikings, holds the school records for touchdowns in a season with 22.

Lincoln will be returning to the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association in the fall of 2010 after an 11-year absence

Lincoln University was founded in 1866 by the men of the 62^nd and 65^th United States Colored Infantries.

Lincoln University competes in the Heartland Conference and the Great Lakes Football Conference.

that the men's basketball team claimed four Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association conference championships (1972, 75, 77, 81)

Athletes of the Week

Okine Codlyn

Women's Track and Field

Okine Codlyn (Sr., Kingston, St. Andrew, Jamaica) took home the pentathlon overall title this past Friday at the Alumni Classic on the campus of Illinois College. Codlyn took first in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.41 seconds, first in the long jump with a jump of 5.60m, tied for first with teammate Sheri Kaye Campbell in the high jump and then completed the pentathlon with a first place in the shot put with a throw of 9.91m to take the overall title with 3,428 points.

Codlyn also came close in the long jump outside of the pentathlon, placing second with a jump of 5.22m, while teammate Racquel Anderson won the event with a jump of 5.54m.

Chris Pfau

Baseball

Chris Pfau (LHP, So., Columbia, MO) was named Heartland Conference Co-Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday for his performance this past weekend against Texas A&M International.

Pfau dominated on the mound in the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday, limiting Texas A&M International to just six hits in recording the complete game shutout, while also striking out six and walking one. The sophomore left-hander also delivered at the plate, coming through with an RBI groundout in the third inning for the only run scored in Lincoln’s 1-0 victory.

Pfau also started the other three games in the series in centerfield and combined with his pitching performance, posted eight putouts, two assists and no errors as the Blue Tigers took three of four from the Dustdevils.

So far on the season, Pfau has played in all 11 games, starting three on the mound and playing in the other eight games at centerfield and at designated hitter. The Blue Tiger leadoff man holds a .286 batting average, 10 hits, two RBI and three stolen bases, while compiling 19.1 innings pitched, a 2.79 ERA, 17 strikeouts and six walks to record a 1-1 mark on the bump.