EDISON, NY – On Tuesday, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference announced the 2017 Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll and Preseason All-MAAC selections. Iona College was voted to third by its peers, and junior Alexis Lewis was named to the Preseason First Team.
As a sophomore in 2016-17, Lewis was voted an All-MAAC First Team honoree as well as Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Third Team member. She earned two MAAC Player of the Week honors and one College Sports Madness weekly award.
Starting in all games she appeared in as a sophomore, Lewis averaged 15.9 and 8.3 rebounds per game. She shot 40.3% from the floor, and 37.7% from beyond the arc. On the defensive end, Lewis picked up 1.8 steals per contest.
Entering her junior year, Lewis ranks 34th in program history with 803 career points. If she crosses the 1,000 career-point threshold, she will be just the 27th player to ever do so while donning the Maroon & Gold. Her 122 career three-point field goals and 36.9% three-point field goal percentage both rank top ten.
Joining Lewis on the All-MAAC Preseason First Team is Niagara's Victoria Rampado, Siena's Kollyns Scarbrough, and Quinnipiac's Jen Fay alongside Preseason Player of the Year, Aryn McClure.
The Bobcats, the defending MAAC champions, were selected as the unanimous No. 1 team in the preseason poll. Marist garnered 109 votes to place second in front of the Maroon & Gold. Fairfield is picked just behind Iona to place fourth with 77 votes, and Monmouth wraps up the top-five with 71 votes.
Last year Iona finished the season 18-13 with an 12-8 MAAC record and placed fifth in the conference entering the Championship. Head Coach Billi Godsey-Chambers led the Gaels to the Championship Semifinals by upsetting No. 4 seed Siena in the quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion, Quinnipiac.
Coaches' Poll:
- Quinnipiac* – 121 (11)
- Marist – 109
- Iona – 81
- Fairfield – 77
- Monmouth – 71
- Rider – 68
- Canisius – 60
- Siena – 55
- Niagara – 39
- Manhattan – 34
- Saint Peter's – 11
Preseason All-MAAC Teams:
First Team:
Alexis Lewis – Iona
Victoria Rampado – Niagara
Jen Fay – Quinnipiac
Aryn McClure – Quinnipiac
Kollyns Scarbrough – Siena
Second Team:
Sara Hinriksdottir – Canisius
Kayla Grimme – Manhattan
Amani Tatum – Manhattan
Rebekah Hand – Marist
Kamila Hoskova – Rider
Third Team:
Samantha Cooper – Fairfield
Maura Fitzpatrick – Marist
Kayla Shaw – Monmouth
Kaylee Stroemple – Niagara
Stella Johnson – Rider
Preseason Player of the Year:
Aryn McClure – Quinnipiac
*denotes unanimous selection
Iona begins its season in Tuscon, AZ against PAC-12 opponent Arizona on Friday, Nov. 10.
