The Mountain West conference released their preseason polls today and the Wyoming Cowgirls have been picked to finish 7th in the conference this season. The Cowgirls, led by senior guard Marquelle Dent are looking to build on their 16-14 record from last season.
Speaking of Marquelle Dent, she was picked as the pre-season player of the year in the Mountain West, her first time being selected for that honor. Last season she was named to the all-conference team, MW all-defensive team, and a WBCA honorable mention on their All-America team. Last season she finished with 16.8 points per game and 6.4 assists per game. She will be joined by Jordan Kelley, who was last year’s Mountain West newcomer of the year.
Colorado State was picked to win the league this season.
In a not-so-fun note, freshman Daley Handy will miss the season after tearing her ACL in practice.
On the men’s side of hoops action…
Wyoming announced today that the Cowboys will play in the Cayman Islands basketball tournament that will start in November of 2017. The Cowboys will be joined by Cincinnati, Iowa, and Alabama-Birmingham. The eight team tournament will have the other four participants announced at a later date.
The first four teams announced for the tournament were all participants in the NCAA tournament last season. Iowa and UAB both advanced to the third round last year.
The Cayman Islands are located in the Caribbean Sea, about an hour from Miami. The island sits South of Cuba and West of Jamaica.