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SoCon women’s basketball polls & preseason team announced Mercer’s Shannon Titus tabbed preseason Player of the Year

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The are tabbed as the preseason favorites to win the Southern Conference women’s basketball title for the 2020-21 season, according to a vote by the league’s head coaches. Mercer senior guard/forward Shannon Titus was named the SoCon Preseason Player of the Year. The league’s media predicted Chattanooga, one of three teams to claim a share of the for the regular-season title in 2019-20, to win the SoCon title in 2020-21.

Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams or student-athletes as part of the balloting.

Mercer finished the 2019-20 campaign 8-23 overall and 4-10 in SoCon play but were the regular season and tournament champion in both 2017-2018 and 2018-2019. Susie Gardner’s squad returns four starters, including Titus, a senior guard/forward, and Jaron Dougherty, a junior forward, both of whom earned spots on the preseason all-conference team. Mercer picked up five of the eight possible first-place votes. The Bears, picked third by the media, earned 45 total points from the coaches, six ahead of Chattanooga, who picked up 39 points and one first-place vote. The Mocs, however, were the media’s pick to win the league, amassing 115 points and eight of the 18 first-place votes. Chattanooga placed senior guard Bria Dial and junior forward Eboni Williams, the Mocs’ top two returning scorers, on the preseason all-conference squad.

Samford, the 2019-20 Southern Conference tournament and regular-season tri-champion, was selected third by the coaches and second by the media. The Bulldogs earned four first-place votes from the media and senior forward Natalie Armstrong, a 2019-20 first-team all-conference selection and the 2020 Southern Conference tournament Most Outstanding Player, was named to the preseason all-conference team by the coaches.

Furman, selected fourth by the coaches, picked up 31 points and one first-place vote. The Paladins were also tabbed fourth by the media (89). Redshirt senior Tierra Hodges, a 2019-20 second-team all-conference selection by the coaches after leading the league in rebounding, is a preseason all-conference selection for the Paladins.

UNC Greensboro, which finished last season 23-9 and 10-4 in SoCon play and earned a share of the 2019-20 regular season title before falling 59-54 to top-seed Samford in the championship final, came in fifth in the coaches’ poll (30) and tied for fourth in the media poll (89), picking up one first-place vote from the coaches. Redshirt senior forward/guard Aja Boyd, the Spartans’ top returning scorer, earned a spot on the preseason all-conference team.

Wofford took sixth in both the coaches poll (24) and the media poll (68). Senior forward Jamari McDavid earned a preseason all-conference nod.

ETSU took seventh in both the coaches (15) and media polls (52). Junior guard/forward E’Lease Stafford was named to the preseason all-conference team for the Bucs. Western Carolina was picked eighth in both polls, earning seven points in the coaches poll and 24 from the media. Lauren LaPlant, a redshirt senior guard who was second in the league in 3- pointers made (80) a season ago, earned a spot on the preseason all-conference squad.

All eight teams were represented on the 10-member SoCon preseason all-conference team, with Mercer and Chattanooga each placing a pair on the team.

The Southern Conference will conduct its virtual Basketball Media Day on Thursday, with interviews with each coach conducted by Pete Yanity airing on ESPN+ beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern on Friday.

The Citadel · East State University · · University of at Greensboro · at Chattanooga · Military Institute · Western Carolina University · The 2020-21 season gets under way on Wednesday, Nov. 25. The 2021 Ingles Southern Conference Championship presented by General Shale will be held March 4-7 at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville in Asheville, North Carolina.

2020-21 Preseason Southern Conference Coaches Poll Team (1st-place votes) Total 1. Mercer (5) 45 2. Chattanooga (1) 39 3. Samford 33 4. Furman (1) 31 5. UNCG (1) 30 6. Wofford 24 7. ETSU 15 8. Western Carolina 7

2020-21 Preseason Player of the Year Shannon Titus, Sr., G/F, Mercer

2020-21 Preseason All-Southern Conference Team E’Lease Stafford, Jr., G/F, ETSU Tierra Hodges, R-Sr., G/F, Furman Jaron Dougherty, Jr., F, Mercer Shannon Titus, Sr., G/F, Mercer Aja Boyd, R-Sr., F/G, UNCG Natalie Armstrong, Sr., F, Samford Bria Dial, Sr., G, Chattanooga Eboni Williams, Jr., F, Chattanooga Lauren LaPlant, R-Sr., G, Western Carolina Jamari McDavid, Sr., F, Wofford

2020-21 Preseason Southern Conference Media Poll Team (1st-place votes) Total 1. Chattanooga (8) 115 2. Samford (4) 111 3. Mercer (2) 100 4. Furman (3) 89 UNCG (1) 89 6. Wofford 68 7. ETSU 52 8. Western Carolina 24

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The Citadel · East Tennessee State University · Furman University Mercer University · University of North Carolina at Greensboro · Samford University University of Tennessee at Chattanooga · Virginia Military Institute · Western Carolina University · Wofford College