Full Centennial Conference Release
HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College women's basketball team was picked third in the annual preseason Centennial Conference women's basketball poll, as voted on by the league's coaches. The conference office announced the results of the annual preseason prognostication in a Wednesday afternoon release. Led by first-year head coach Grace Elliott, who joins the Fords for her first season at the helm after serving as the Head Coach of Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, the Fords look poised for an 11th consecutive appearance in the Centennial Conference tournament.
Last season, Haverford bowed out in the CC semifinals after the squad compiled an 18-8 overall record as well as a 14-6 mark in Centennial Conference play. The impressive record included a string of nine consecutive victories, matching the second-longest win streak in program history as the Fords went unbeaten from January 11 to February 2, 2022.
Defending champion Gettysburg was selected as a slight favorite over Johns Hopkins in the 2022-23 Centennial Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Poll. The Bullets secured six first-place votes and 96 points.
Johns Hopkins earned five first-place votes and 95 points to land just behind the Bullets in the poll. The Fords (68), Dickinson (65), Washington College (65) and Swarthmore (61) were also projected as playoff teams in third through sixth place, respectively. Ursinus was picked to finish seventh with 47 points, followed by Muhlenberg (43), Franklin & Marshall (31), McDaniel (25) and Bryn Mawr (10).
Last season, the Fords showcased a stifling defensive pressure to earn the NCAA Division III statistical championship for the 2021-22 season, finishing first in the nation in scoring defense (45.0 ppg). Haverford allowed its opponents the fewest points across all three NCAA divisions.
Haverford also excelled in other defensive categories, finishing fifth in the nation in three-point percentage defense (22.1 percent) and field goal percentage (30.7 percent). Senior Cortlyn Morris finished sixth in the nation in blocked shots per game (3.04) and total blocks (79).
Women's Basketball will open up the 2022-23 campaign at the NYU Tip-Off Classic on Saturday, November 12. The Fords will take on Union College at 7 p.m. before returning on Sunday to wrap up action at tournament host No. 3 NYU (3 p.m.) - The home opener is slated for November 22 as the Fords take on Washington College.
