Terps Picked First in ACC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
10/24/2007 8:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Oct. 24, 2007
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Brenda Frese's 2007-08 Maryland women's basketball team was picked to finish first in the Atlantic Coast Conference in a polling of media members who attended the ACC Media Day, league sports information directors and head coaches, the conference office announced today. National Player of the Year candidate and two-time All-American Crystal Langhorne was tabbed the ACC's Preseason Player of the Year, while junior teammate Marissa Coleman was also voted to the preseason all-conference squad.
The Terps received 27 of 37 first-place votes to come in atop the poll for the second-consecutive year. North Carolina was second in the polling, garnering 10 first-place votes, followed by Duke. Those three teams have finished in the top three of the final conference standings in three of the last four years. Rounding out the top half were Florida State, Georgia Tech and Virginia.
NC State was picked to finish seventh, Clemson was eighth, Virginia Tech ninth and Miami 10th. In the bottom two spots were Boston College and Wake Forest in 11th and 12th place, respectively.
Senior Crystal Langhorne (Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro) is the second player in the history of the program to be tabbed the conference's preseason player of the year. Jessie Hicks was a preseason favorite for the award in 1992. Junior Marissa Coleman (Cheltenham, Md./St. John's College [D.C.]) accompanies Langhorne on the preseason squad for the second-straight year.
Also joining the duo are UNC's Erlana Larkins, Duke's Abby Waner NC State's Khadijah Whittington. The Blue Devils' Jasmine Thomas was picked the Preseason Rookie of the Year.
Langhorne is a three-time All-ACC honoree, earning a spot on the first team in each of the last two years. Coleman is a two-time all-conference pick. Both were the ACC's Rookie of the Year in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Along with junior Kristi Toliver (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg), Coleman and Langhorne were named preseason candidates for the WBCA/State Farm Wade Trophy.
Maryland has been selected in the top five by numerous preseason polls, earning its highest ranking of No. 2 by CSTV.com. The Terps return the most veteran squad in Frese's tenure and the second-most veteran squad in the nation with eight letterwinners returning, including four starters. The returnees have a combined 351 career starts, second only to West Virginia (364).
The Terps host the U.S. National Team for an exhibition on Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. They officially tip off the season hosting Princeton in the first round of the WNIT on Friday, Nov. 9. Single-game tickets are now on sale at the Comcast Center Ticket Office by calling 1-800-IM-A-TERP or by visiting www.umterps.com.
2007-08 Predicted Order of Finish
1. MARYLAND (27)
2. North Carolina (10)
3. Duke
4. Florida State
5. Georgia Tech
6. Virginia
7. NC State
8. Clemson
9. Virginia Tech
10. Miami
11. Boston College
12. Wake Forest
2007-08 Preseason All-ACC Team
Crystal Langhorne, Maryland
Marissa Coleman, Maryland
Erlana Larkins, North Carolina
Abby Waner, Duke
Khadijah Whittington, NC State
Preseason Player of the Year
Crystal Langhorne, Maryland
Preseason Rookie of the Year
Jasmine Thomas, Duke
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