ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has announced the Preseason Coaches' Poll for the 2023-24 women's basketball season. The Gorloks were picked to win the SLIAC for the fifth straight season after recording 81 points in the poll and nine out of 10 first place votes.
The Gorloks return 14 players from last years team that went 24-4 overall and 12-2 in SLIAC play. They won their fourth straight SLIAC Regular Season Title and their fourth SLIAC Tournament Title in the past six seasons. They qualified for the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball National Tournament for the seventh time in program history and the fourth time since the 2017-18 season.
Of the 14 returners, four players averaged double figures last season including
Julie Baudendistel,
Bethany Lancaster,
Emily Wilson, and
Kate Rolfes. Baudendistel, a two-time SLIAC First Team All-Conference recipient and the 2020-21 SLIAC Women's Basketball Player of the Year, averaged a team high 15.1 points per game last season while pulling down 6.4 rebounds per contest. Lancaster, a Second Team All-SLIAC selection last season, averaged a team high 7.6 rebounds per game while finishing second on the team with 13.3 points per game. Wilson was named the SLIAC Sixth Woman of the Year last season after averaging 11.7 points and 5.6 rebounds off the bench. Rolfes averaged 10.8 points per game last season while knocking down a team high 45 three pointers.
Jordyn Grimes,
Nysa Gilchrist, and
Claire Williams also return for the Gorloks as all three made 10 or more starts last season. Grimes started 17 games for Webster averaging 5.7 points and 2.1 assists per contest. Gilchrist, a 2022-23 SLIAC All-Defensive Team honoree, led the Gorloks with 76 assists in 28 games while pulling down 2.2 rebounds per contest. Williams averaged 4.6 points in 26 games last year while finishing third on the team with 16 threes.
Lastly,
Mariana Brick,
Jena Stannard, and
Julie Diveney return for Webster after each made 20 or more appearances last season. Brick averaged 2.3 points and 1.3 rebounds in 26 games. Stannard averaged 1.8 points and 1.4 assists in 27 games. Diveney appeared in 20 games and averaged 1.7 points per game.
In addition to the returners, Webster also welcomes in seven newcomers. Of the seven newcomers, five are freshman and two are transfers.
The Gorloks will tip-off their season on Friday, November 10
th when they host Belhaven (Miss.) University for their first game of the 2023 Webster Tip-Off Classic. The game is set to start at 8 p.m. in Grant Gymnasium.
