INDIANAPOLIS – The Horizon League released the preseason polls for women's basketball on Friday (Oct. 6) and IUPUI was tabbed to finish seventh by the coaches, earning 106 points. Senior Danielle Lawrence was named to the All-Preseason Second-Team.

"We are thrilled to be part of the Horizon League and Motor City Madness," said head cocah Austin Parkinson. "Being picked seventh doesn't change the fact that we will compete for a championship as well as play in the postseason."
 
The Jags, in their first year in the Horizon League, seventh-place finish in the poll is above Youngstown State, Northern Kentucky and UIC. Green Bay sits at the top of the preseason poll finishing with 236 points and 21 of the 25 first-place votes. The Phoenix are defending Horizon League champions and went to the NCAA Tournament in the 2016-17 season. Wright State picked up the other four first-place votes and 204 points to finish second in the poll. The Raider's Chelsea Welch earned Preseason Player of the Year honors.
 
After taking home her second-straight First-Team All-Summit League honors a season ago, Lawrence earned Second-Team All-Preseason honors in the Horizon League and will be looked on as the leader for a Jags roster that features just two seniors.
 
Lawrence led the team last year with 15.6 points/game and 84 assists and was third on the team with 4.0 rebounds per game. Junior Sydney Hall returns after garnering All-Summit League honorable mention honors last season after scoring 9.8 points/game. The only other senior on the roster is Jenna Gunn, who was fourth on the team in scoring last season with 8.2 points/game and shot a team-high 52-percent from the field.
 
Parkinson's roster is young, featuring three sophomores and six freshmen. Juniors Allex Brown and Tamya Sims will be looked on to contribute. Brown played in 29 games last year and averaged 2.8 points/game and 3.1 rebounds/game while Sims sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules after transferring to IUPUI from Bradley. In her final year at Bradley, Sims averaged 8.1 points/game and pulled down 5.3 rebounds/game.
 
There are two returning sophomores on the Jags roster, guard Holly Hoopingarner and center Taylor Drake. Hoopingarner appeared in 31 games a season ago and averaged 6.3 points/game off the bench. Drake added 2.4 points/game in her 17 appearances.
 
The Jags boast a strong group of freshmen that includes the No. 69 ranked player in the country for the 2017 class by ESPN Hoop Gurlz. Macee Williams, a native of Veedersburg, Indiana headlines the incoming class after averaging 16.7 points/game in her high school career, adding 12.3 rebounds/game. The class also includes Brittany Welch, Agatha Beier and Morgan Allen and Sydney Roule.

"We have a strong nucleus back with a lot of experience and add some very talented pieces to the mix as well," said Parkinson. "Our program looks forward to building on antoher record setting year last season where we finished in the Top 75 in RPI and were seconds away from heading to the NCAA Tournament."
 
The Jags will kick off the 2017 season with the Red-White Scrimmage on Monday, October 30 at 7 p.m. at the Jungle. The first game of the season will be an exhibition game against Urbana (Ohio) at the Jungle on Thursday, November 3 with tipoff schedule for 7 p.m. The first official game for the Jags will Friday (Nov. 10) when IUPUI travels to Northern Iowa with tipoff set for 8 p.m.
 
In addition, season tickets are now on sale by clicking here or contacting Lauren Gronke at lgronke@iupui.edu or 317-278-2530.
 
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2017-18 Horizon League Women's Basketball Preseason Poll

1. Green Bay (21)           246
2. Wright State (4)          204
3. Oakland                      139
4. Milwaukee                  129
5. Detroit Mercy             126
6. Cleveland State           117
7. IUPUI                         106
8. Youngstown State      93
9. Northern Kentucky     59
10. UIC                             31

 
2017-18 Horizon League Women's Basketball All-Preseason Teams
Player of the Year
Chelsea Welch, Wright State
 
First Team
Ashanti Abshaw, Cleveland State
Brianne Cohen, Detroit Mercy
Jessica Lindstrom, Green Bay
Steph Kostowicz, Milwaukee
Chelsea Welch, Wright State
 
Second Team
Khayla Livingston, Cleveland State
Allie LeClaire, Green Bay
Danielle Lawrence, IUPUI
Taylor Jones, Oakland
Lexie Smith, Wright State