INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI women's basketball team has been picked as the preseason favorite and fifth-year senior Macee Williams has been voted the #HLWBB preseason Player of the Year as the league released its preseason polls on Tuesday (Oct. 19). The Jaguars were collected 11 of the 12 possible first-place votes to earn the top spot, followed by Milwaukee, Green Bay, Northern Kentucky and Oakland, respectively. 

Williams was joined on the preseason first team by fellow fifth-year senior Rachel McLimore as IUPUI boasts the league's best inside-outside duo. Williams, a three-time Horizon League Player of the Year, averaged 18.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 52 percent from the floor. She also delivered 2.3 assists per game and got to the line nearly six times per contest. Meanwhile, McLimore averaged 13.9 points per game and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 44 percent overall and 38.5 percent from three-point range. 

Beyond that duo, head coach Austin Parkinson's team also returns a third starter in point guard Destiny Perkins. Perkins averaged 7.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while collecting a team-high 29 steals. Other returning letterwinners include Natalie Andersen (5.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg), Morgan Allen (5.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg), Anna Mortag (3.0 ppg), Trinity Duckworth (2.4 ppg), Ali Berg (1.8 ppg) and Jaci Jones (1.8 ppg). Andersen made three starts a season ago and was second on the squad with 27 made threes while Allen appeared in all 20 games and averaged more than 16 minutes per contest. 

Parkinson inked a pair of transfers in Rachel Kent (Saint Louis) and Madison Wise (Iowa State), both of whom will fill immediate roles. Kent made 51 starts at SLU in two seasons, averaging 11.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 43 percent from three-point range. Wise, an Indiana-native, graduated from Iowa State having appeared in 113 games and having made 68 starts. She averaged 6.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game for the Cyclones, totaling 723 points, 459 rebounds and 115 threes made. The Jaguars also inked four freshmen for the upcoming season in Jacquel Bronaugh (Dayton, Ohio), Tyra Ford (Anderson, Ind.), Nakaih Hunter (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Logan Lewis (West Bloomfield, Mich.). 

The Jaguars will open its exhibition slate on Nov. 4 when they host IU Northwest at 7:00 p.m. inside the Jungle. IUPUI will open the regular season with five straight road games at Michigan (Nov. 9), Bowling Green (Nov. 14), Cleveland State (Nov. 18), Purdue Fort Wayne (Nov. 20) and Southern Illinois (Nov. 24) before hosting Butler in its home opener on Nov. 28. 

2021-22  #HLWBB Preseason Poll
Pl.          Team – Pts. (First-place votes)
1.            IUPUI – 139 (11)
2.            Milwaukee – 125
3.            Green Bay – 120 (1)
4.            Northern Kentucky – 107
5.            Oakland – 96
6.            Cleveland State – 78
T7.          Wright State – 72
T7.          Youngstown State – 72
9.            RMU – 47
10.          UIC – 38
11.          Purdue Fort Wayne – 26
12.          Detroit Mercy – 16

#HLWBB Preseason Player of the Year
Macee Williams, IUPUI

Preseason All-League First Team (alphabetical order by school)
Rachel McLimore, IUPUI
Macee Williams, IUPUI
Megan Walstad, Milwaukee
Lindsey Duvall, Northern Kentucky
Kahlaijah Dean, Oakland

Preseason All-League Second Team (alphabetical order by school)
Destiny Leo, Cleveland State
Meghan Pingel, Green Bay
Ivy Turner, Northern Kentucky
Sol Castro, RMU
Chelsea Olson, Youngstown State