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COLLEGEINSIDER.COM
ESTABLISHES WOMEN’S
MID-MAJOR TOP 25
POLL
BOSTON (MA) --- Over
a decade after
creating the
Mid-Major Top 25 for
division I men’s
basketball,
CollegeInsider.com
has joined forces
with the Atlantic
Sun Conference to
establish the
women’s Mid-Major
Top 25.
“We are very excited
to be working with
the Atlantic Sun to
help bring attention
to deserving women’s
college basketball
programs,” said
CollegeInsider.com
co-founder Angela
Lento. “This is
something we have
been looking at for
a few years and
after the creation
of the
Kay Yow Award
this past season we
felt the timing was
perfect.”
CollegeInsider.com
established the
men’s Mid-Major Top
25 in 1999 for the
purpose of
recognizing smaller
schools throughout
the regular season.
Now entering its’
twelfth season of
existence, the men’s
Mid-Major Top 25 has
become the measuring
stick for programs
outside of the
proverbial power
conferences.
This past season the
top four teams in
the final regular
season men’s
Mid-Major Top 25 all
advanced to the
Sweet 16 (Butler,
Cornell, Northern
Iowa, St. Mary’s).
Butler, which
advanced to the
National
Championship game
against Duke, was
ranked No. 1 for
most of the regular
season.
"This is exciting
for women's college
basketball," said
Liberty head coach
Carey Green who will
serve on the
31-member voting
panel. "The women's
Mid-Major Top 25
will provide great
recognition and
awareness for many
exceptional women's
basketball programs
that have existed in
the shadows for so
many years.”
The women’s
Mid-Major Top 25
will be comprised of
teams from America
East, Atlantic Sun,
Big Sky, Big South,
Big West, Colonial,
Great West, Horizon,
Independents, Ivy,
Metro Atlantic,
Mid-American,
Mid-Eastern,
Missouri Valley,
Northeast, Ohio
Valley, Patriot,
Southern, Southland,
Southwestern,
Summit, Sun Belt and
West Coast
Conference.
"I appreciate the
efforts of
CollegeInsider.com
to create the
women's basketball
Mid-Major Top 25
poll, said Florida
Gulf Coast head
coach Karl Smesko
who will serve as
the chairman of the
voting panel. “Some
of the most exciting
and entertaining
styles are played at
the mid-major level
and it is great that
the poll recognizes
programs who truly
make the best of
their resources. I
look forward to
being a part of the
voting process.”
The Atlantic Sun
Conference will help
to administer the
voting proves for
the women’s
Mid-Major Top 25,
which will be
released every
Tuesday throughout
the 2010-11 season.
The preseason poll
will be released on
Oct. 26.
This past season
CollegeInsider.com
established the Kay
Yow Award,
which is given
annually to the top
division I women’s
head coach who
embodies a winning
spirit and also
displays great
character both on
and off the court.
WOMEN’S MID-MAJOR
TOP 25 VOTING PANEL
Joan M. Bonvicini
(Seattle), Brian
Boyer (Arkansas
State), Tony
Bozzella (Iona),
Kristin Caruso
(Longwood), Beth
Couture (Butler), Ed
Davis (Delaware
State), Denise
Dillon (Longwood),
Brooks Donald
Williams (McNeese
State), Jim Flanery
(Creighton), Beckie
Francis (Oakland),
Stephanie Gaitley
(Monmouth), Bill
Gibbons (Holy
Cross), Carey Green
(Liberty), Aaron
Johnston (South
Dakota State), Lori
Jones (Southeastern
Louisiana), Tasha
McDowell (Western
Michigan), Lynn
Milligan (Rider),
Faith Mimnaugh (Cal
Poly), Jennifer
Mountain (Santa
Clara), Cathy Nixon
(Utah Valley),
Autumn Rademacher
(Detroit), Brady
Sallee (Eastern
Illinois), Michele
Savage (Davidson),
Sandy Simpson (UC
Davis), Karl Smesko
(Florida Gulf
Coast), Dayna Smith
(Cornell), Phil
Stern (UMBC), Colby
Tilley (Kennesaw
State), Sue Troyan
(Lehigh), Altherias
Warmley (Alabama
A&M), Jamie White
(Northern Colorado)
Chairman: Karl
Smesko (Florida Gulf
Coast)
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