West Babylon, N.Y. – In a tight vote, New York Tech topped St. Thomas Aquinas by just one point for first place in the East Coast Conference Women's Basketball Coaches Preseason Poll. Meg Knollmeyer (Hampton, N.H.) of New York Tech was also selected by the league's coaches as the ECC Preseason Player of the Year.
New York Tech, the defending ECC Champions, and St. Thomas Aquinas, the defending ECC Regular Season Champions, nearly split the nine first-place votes. The Bears earned five to finish with 76 points, one point ahead of the Spartans, who earned four.
After previously finishing as conference runner-up on five different occasions, New York Tech finally got over the hump to win the program's first ECC title a season ago. With all but one significant contributor returning from last year's roster, expectations are high for another successful Bears' run in 2019-20. Knollmeyer and fellow ECC All-Conference pick, Shalie Frierson, are the key returnees for Tech.
Knollmeyer had a triumphant return last season after missing all of the 2017-18 campaign due to injury. In 29 games played, she averaged 14.9 points and 8.8 rebounds on 45.6 percent shooting. Her points per game mark was fifth in the conference, while her rebounding total was fourth. She ranked second in the ECC in steals per game (2.3) and seventh in blocks per game (0.9), as well. For her efforts, she earned a spot on the ECC All-Conference First Team. Knollmeyer was also key in leading the Bears to the ECC title. She averaged 14.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game over three Tech wins to be named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
St. Thomas Aquinas just missed the top spot after a special 2018-19 campaign. The Spartans finished 26-5, won their first ECC Regular Season title since 2011 and earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Championship. As with the Bears, the Spartans' roster returns nearly intact from a year ago. ECC All-Conference picks, Ruth Adams and Emily Preston, headline the 11 returners for St. Thomas Aquinas.
Daemen is next in the poll at No. 3 with 62 points. The Wildcats had a scorching hot finish to last season, winning 15 of their final 16 games to earn the No. 2 seed in the ECC Championship. Reigning ECC Rookie of the Year, Katie Titus, and All-Conference selection, Tiara Filbert, are among seven returners for Daemen.
At No. 4 is Roberts Wesleyan with 52 points. The Redhawks will be led by senior Emily Miller, a two-time All-Conference honoree. Miller is well within striking distance of becoming just the fifth player in conference history to score 2,000 points in their career.
The rest of the expected ECC Championship participants includes Bridgeport at No. 5 and Molloy at No. 6.
2019-2020 ECC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
| School | Pts. | Last Year's Record |
| 1. New York Tech (5) | 76 | 23-9 (12-6 ECC) |
| 2. St. Thomas Aquinas (4) | 75 | 26-5 (17-1 ECC) |
| 3. Daemen | 62 | 18-10 (15-3 ECC) |
| 4. Roberts Wesleyan | 52 | 15-17 (10-8 ECC) |
| 5. Bridgeport | 41 | 12-17 (8-10 ECC) |
| 6. Molloy | 37 | 10-18 (5-13 ECC) |
| T7. Mercy | 21 | 4-24 (5-13 ECC) |
| T7. Queens | 21 | 6-20 (5-13 ECC) |
| 9. Dist. Columbia | 20 | 10-18 (7-11 ECC) |
( ) - first place votes
Preseason Player of the Year - Meg Knollmeyer, New York Tech (6-1, R-Jr., Hampton, N.H.)
