The St. Thomas Aquinas men and Queens women, the defending East Coast Conference basketball champions, have been listed in the Division II Bulletin Top 25 Preseason Poll. In addition, Justin Reyes of St. Thomas Aquinas and Madison Rowland of Queens have been named a Preseason All-American.
St. Thomas Aquinas comes in at No. 13 in the men's rankings on the heels of their first-ever ECC Championship a season ago. The Spartans finished with a 27-5 record which included a 21 game winning streak. St. Thomas Aquinas also returns 12 players and all five starters to this year's roster, including Reyes.
Reyes, the reigning ECC Player of the Year, averaged a double-double of 17.4 points per game and 10.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore. He also led the ECC in field goal percentage (61.2), and ranked in the top-four in steals (56) and blocks (44).
On the women's side, Queens is listed at No. 14. The Knights will be looking for a three-peat this season after capturing ECC titles in 2015 and 2016. Including Rowland, Queens returns seven players from last year's roster that finished 21-9.
Rowland will wrap up one of the most successful careers in ECC history during the 2016-17 season. Last season she averaged 20.8 points per game, 9.6 rebounds per game, 3.8 assists per game, and 4.7 steals per game on her way to a third straight ECC All-Conference First Team selection. Her steals per game mark led Division II for the third straight season. Rowland is also within reach of finishing the season as the conference's all-time leader in points, steals, and field goals made.
MacKenzie Rowland of Queens and Shannon Duer of NYIT were also listed on the Preseason All-America list in the Honorable Mention section. Rowland was a First Team All-Conference pick a year ago after averaging a double-double of 13.7 points per game and 10.9 rebounds per game. She also ranked third in the ECC with 61 blocks.
Duer was a Second Team All-Conference honoree after averaging a double-double, as well. She finished with 10.8 points per game and 11.0 rebounds per game. Her 386 rebounds on the season were the third most in a single-season in conference history.
To view the Division II Bulletin Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, click here.
To view the Division II Bulletin Women's Basketball Preseason Poll, click here.
To view the Division II Bulletin Men's Basketball Preseason All-Americans, click here.
To view the Division II Bulletin Women's Basketball Preseason All-Americans, click here.
