Defending Champion Belmont Abbey Tabbed Favorite in Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Defending regular season champion Belmont Abbey has been tabbed as the favorite in the 2020-21 Conference Carolinas Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll.
The conference office officially unveiled the preseason poll on Dec. 8, 2020. The preseason poll was voted on by the league’s head coaches.
Currently ranked 23
rd in NCAA Division II, Belmont Abbey received nine first-place votes and a total of 98 points to secure the top spot ahead of Barton, who was right behind with 92 points. Barton and Belmont Abbey tied for the top spot in the preseason poll one year earlier in 2019-20. The 2018 Conference Carolinas Tournament champion, Barton received the final two first-place votes in the 2020-21 preseason tally. The 2019 Conference Tournament champions, Emmanuel (82) was third in the 2020-21 preseason poll.
Mount Olive (69) was picked fourth followed by King (68), North Greenville (56), Lees-McRae (41), Chowan (35), Converse (24), Erskine (23) and Southern Wesleyan (17).
The 2021 Conference Carolinas men’s and women basketball schedule features 16 games and it is unique in that it has been designed to allow member institutions the ability to play back-to-back games against the same league foe on certain weekends where applicable due to the challenges of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2021 Conference Carolinas men’s and women’s basketball schedule will officially begin on Wednesday, Jan. 13. The final date of regular season competition for Conference Carolinas men’s and women’s basketball will be on Thursday, Feb. 25.
The 2021 Conference Carolinas Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships are scheduled to begin with first round play at higher seeds on Monday, March 1. The quarterfinals (Thursday, March 4), semifinals (Friday, March 5) and finals (Sunday, March 7) are scheduled to be held at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
2020-21 Conference Carolinas
Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll
| School |
First Place |
Total |
| Belmont Abbey |
9 |
98 |
| Barton |
2 |
92 |
| Emmanuel |
|
82 |
| Mount Olive |
|
69 |
| King |
|
68 |
| North Greenville |
|
56 |
| Lees-McRae |
|
41 |
| Chowan |
|
35 |
| Converse |
|
24 |
| Erskine |
|
23 |
| Southern Wesleyan |
|
17 |
2020-21 Conference Carolinas Women’s Basketball
Players to Watch
Barton
Shanika Peterkin, Sr., Center, Virginia Beach, Virginia (2018-19 and 2019-20 All-Conference Carolinas, 2019-20 Conference Carolinas Player of the Year, 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Year, 2020 All-Tournament)
Jami Tham-Morrobel, Jr., Forward, Arlington, Virginia (2019-20 All-Conference Carolinas, 2020 All-Tournament)
Belmont Abbey
Brittany Autry, Sr., Center, Mineral Springs, North Carolina
Irelynn Davisson, Sr., Guard, Port Orange, Florida
Keyanna Spivey, Sr., Forward, Rocky Mount, North Carolina (2020 All-Tournament)
Chowan
Demetria Bland, So., Guard, Williamston, North Carolina
Destiny Robinson, Jr., Forward, Hampton, Virginia
Converse
Lindsey Hardin, So., Guard, Inman, South Carolina
Ellen Nardella, Jr., Guard, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Jordan Brown, Fr., Guard, McCormick, South Carolina
Emmanuel
Breanna Locke, Sr., Forward, Flowery Branch, Georgia (2019-20 All-Conference Carolinas, 2020 All-Tournament)
Jazmin Allen, Jr., Forward, Jefferson, Georgia
Brooke Whitaker, Sr., Guard, Douglasville Georgia
Erskine
Osha Makerson, So., Guard, Forest City, North Carolina (2019-20 All-Conference Carolinas, 2019-20 Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year)
Megan Jones, Jr., Guard, Greer, South Carolina
Raina Hall, Sr., Forward, Greenville, South Carolina
King
Trinity Lee, Jr., Guard, Knoxville, Tennessee (2019-20 All-Conference Carolinas, 2018-19 Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year)
Ali Golden, Sr., Guard, Huntland, Tennessee
Ryleigh Fritz, Jr., Guard, White Pine, Tennessee
Lees-McRae
Destiny Johnson, Jr., Guard, Iron Station, North Carolina (2019-20 All-Conference Carolinas)
Davinique Campbell, So., Forward, Brownsburg, Indiana
Aurora Roberts, So., Forward, Maplewood, Minnesota
Mount Olive
Azariah Fields, Jr., Guard, Wilmington, North Carolina
Ivanda Hudjakova, Sr., Forward, Valmiera, Latvia
Ayonna Cotten, Sr., Guard, Wilmington, North Carolina
North Greenville
Savannah Hughes, Sr., Guard, Greenville, South Carolina
Peace Okeke, Sr., Forward, Abache, Nigeria
Journey Muhammad, Jr., Guard, Charlotte, North Carolina
Southern Wesleyan
Brooke Henricks, So., Guard, Tiger, Georgia
Caroline Reese, So., Guard, Boiling Springs, South Carolina
Lonesha Lee, R-Jr, Guard, North Augusta, South Carolina
