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Women picked to win GNAC

Women's Basketball UAA Media Relations

Women picked to win GNAC

SPOKANE, Wash. – Alaska Anchorage is the favorite to win the 2011-12 Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball title, according to the league's 11th annual preseason coaches' poll, released Tuesday.



The Seawolves, coming off a 27-7 campaign, were the GNAC regular-season runners-up last year before capturing the championship of the league's first-ever postseason tournament.

UAA received nine of 10 first-place votes in the poll, with the other going to Seattle Pacific.

The Seawolves earned 108 of a possible 110 total points, followed by SPU (87), Northwest Nazarene (75) and 2010-11 regular-season champ Western Washington (73).



Sixth-year head coach Tim Moser, who sports a 84 winning percentage and is the most winningest active coach in NCAA Div. II, returns just two starters from a year ago, but both were GNAC all-stars, including senior All-America candidate Hanna Johansson, a 6-2 post who ranked fifth in the conference in scoring (13.2 ppg) and seventh in rebounding (6.8 rpg). Johansson is one of only two returning first-team all-conference selections from a year ago, along with Simon Fraser forward Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe.

UAA's only other returning starter is junior forward Alysa Horn, who averaged 11.4 points and 6.1 rebounds. The Kodiak native is the lone returning GNAC second-team all-star.

The Seawolves return seven letterwinners overall as they look to qualify for a sixth straight NCAA Tournament. The program enters the year with a nation-best 65 straight weeks in the WBCA Div. II Top 25 Coaches' poll.


2011-12 GNAC Coaches Poll  2010-11 Recs., Pl.  Pts
 1. Alaska Anchorage (9)   27-7, *14-4, 2nd    108
 2. Seattle Pacific (1)    20-9, 13-5, 3rd     87
 3. Northwest Nazarene     14-13, 9-9, 6th-T   75
 4. Western Washington     26-4, 17-1, 1st     73
 5. Simon Fraser           7-17, 4-14, 8th     63
 6. Western Oregon         11-16, 9-9, 6th-T   47
 7. Central Washington     7-18, 2-16, 9th     33
 8. MSU Billings           16-12, 11-7, 4th    30
 9. Saint Martin's         15-12, 10-8, 5th    28
10. Alaska Fairbanks       1-24, 1-17, 10th    16
(Note: First-place votes in parenthesis.
Points awarded on 11-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.)
*Won 2011 post-season tournament   

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Players Mentioned

Alysa Horn

#RS Alysa Horn

F
5' 11"
Freshman
Hanna Johansson

#50 Hanna Johansson

F
6' 2"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Alysa Horn

#RS Alysa Horn

5' 11"
Freshman
F
Hanna Johansson

#50 Hanna Johansson

6' 2"
Freshman
F