CLEVELAND — Bowling Green’s women’s basketball team has been picked to win the Mid-American Conference
East title in a conference-wide preseason poll.
Additionally, BG junior Chrissy Steffen was selected to the preseason All-MAC team.
Toledo was picked to win the West and the MAC tournament title.
Total votes for the divisions and all-conference teams were not released by the league office.
“To say I thought it was a Halloween prank would be understating how surprised I was when I got that word
from the conference office,” BG head coach Curt Miller said. The Falcons lost six seniors from last
year’s team which went 28-5 and advanced to the NCAA tournament.
“I guess that is a compliment to the success we have had through the years,” Miller added. “It’s a little
baffling to me to be picked first with such unproven players on our roster.”
BG is seeking a divisional crown for the eighth consecutive season. After winning the West title in
2004-05, the Falcons have won six straight East championships after being moved back to the East prior
to the 2005-06 academic year.
“We’re excited about the culture and the tradition that is in the program. Certainly our upper classmen
are trying to teach that to our under classmen. We have a lot of questions marks. We realize that we
have a lot of hard work ahead of us,” Miller said.
A total of 38 of the 48 voters picked UT to capture the MAC tournament crown in 2012.
The poll results are: East, 1) Bowling Green; 2) Miami; 3) Akron; 4) Kent State; 5) Ohio; 6) Buffalo;
West, 1) Toledo; 2) Central Michigan; 3) Eastern Michigan; 4) Northern Illinois; 5) Ball State; 6)
Western Michigan; MAC tournament, 1) Toledo, 33; 2) Central Michigan, 10; 3) Bowling Green, 3; 4)
Eastern Michigan 2.
The preseason teams are: East, Steffen, Bowling Green; Rachel Tecca, Akron; Courtney Osborn, Miami;
Kirsten Olowinski, Miami; Tenishia Benson, Ohio; West, Brandi Baker, Central Michigan; Niki DiGuilio,
Central Michigan; Tavelyn James, Eastern Michigan; Naama Shafir, Toledo; Miame Giden, Western Michigan.