Sterling Athletics
Caden Ford, Sports Information Director
WICHITA – The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Media Day was held on Tuesday, Oct. 15. at the Crestview Country Club in Wichita, Kansas. After an outstanding 2018-19 season, the Sterling College Lady Warrior basketball team was picked first by both the KCAC Head Coaches and the members of the KCAC Media.
Sterling finished last season with a 27-6 overall record and 20-4 KCAC record, finishing as the KCAC Regular Season runner-up and the KCAC Tournament runner-up. The Lady Warriors reached the NAIA-DII National Championship Tournament in Sioux City, Iowa for the first time since 2012 and the first under head coach, K.C. Bassett.
Sterling begins the 2019-20 season at the College of the Ozarks Women’s Basketball Classic as one of four National Championship Tournament teams from the year before. The Lady Warriors will open against reigning national champion, Concordia University on Friday, October 25th at 5:30 p.m. and then will play either national runner-up, Southeastern University or national semi-finalist, College of the Ozarks on Saturday, October 26th.
Sterling was picked first in both polls at KCAC Basketball Media Day, as the Lady Warriors look to continue off of last season’s success. The Lady Warriors had a total of 135 points, receiving seven first-place votes in the Coaches’ Poll, while Tabor College had three, Bethany College two, and Avila University one. Tabor College was picked to finish second with 129 points, followed by Bethany, Kansas Wesleyan, and Avila to round out the top five. Bethel, Oklahoma Wesleyan, McPherson, Friends, Ottawa, Southwestern, St. Mary, and York closed out the rest of Coaches’ Poll for the 2019-20 season.
In the Media Poll, Sterling was again selected first, finishing with 16 first-place votes with a total of 295 points. Tabor was close behind in second with the remaining eight first-place votes and 290 points, followed by Kansas Wesleyan in third, Bethany in fourth, and Bethel in fifth. Oklahoma Wesleyan, Avila, Ottawa, McPherson, Friends, Southwestern, St. Mary, and York would round out the remaining teams in the 2019-20 KCAC Women’s Basketball Media Poll.
2019-20 KCAC Women’s Basketball – Coaches Poll
- Sterling College – 135 (7)
- Tabor College – 129 (3)
- Bethany College – 116 (2)
- Kansas Wesleyan University – 107
- Avila University – 101 (1)
- Bethel College – 92
- Oklahoma Wesleyan University – 83
- McPherson College – 59
- Friends University – 54
- Ottawa University – 45
- Southwestern College – 39
- University of Saint Mary – 35
- York College – 19
2019-20 KCAC Women’s Basketball – Media Poll
- Sterling College – 295 (16)
- Tabor College – 290 (8)
- Kansas Wesleyan University – 256
- Bethany College – 221
- Bethel College – 206
- Oklahoma Wesleyan University – 178
- Avila University – 170
- Ottawa University – 153
- McPherson College – 126
- Friends University – 95
- Southwestern College – 82
- University of Saint Mary – 76
- York College – 36