Chargers Enter New Season as G-MAC Favorites

2018-19 G-MAC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll

Head women's basketball coaches in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference expect the Hillsdale College Chargers to finish this year where it ended last year - in first.

The conference preseason coach's poll, presented by Under Armour, was released Tuesday morning and the Chargers were picked to finish first in a balanced field with 153 poll points and five first-place votes. The University of Findlay had one fewer first-place vote, but finished with as many poll points as Hillsdale. 

Last spring, Hillsdale came from the No. 5 seed to win the G-MAC Tournament in its first year as a conference member. It was the third conference tournament championship in program history, and led to the Chargers' fifth appearance in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament. Last year's team finished with a 19-11 record, and although it lost three seniors and two starters, anticipation for the new season is high under second-year head coach Matt Fritsche.

Starters Allie Dewire, Brittany Gray and Makenna Ott all return, and will be reinforced by returning veterans like Julia Wacker, Jaycie Burger and Amaka Chikwe. Guard Clare Mitchell joins the lineup after sitting out her redshirt season last year. Add into the mix freshmen Anna Lomonaco, Lauren Daffenberg and Grace Touchette, and Fritsche figures to deploy a lineup with tons of offensive firepower. 

Ott, Dewire and Gray all have a chance to reach the 1,000-point plateau this year and all have been starters for multiple seasons, giving the Chargers one of the most experienced lineups in the conference. 

The complete preseason poll can be found below.

2018-19 G-MAC Women's Basketball Preseason Coach's Poll