West Babylon, N.Y. - Lincoln Memorial University's women's bowling team has been selected as the favorite to claim an East Coast Conference Championship after finishing first in the league's preseason coaches' poll. Lincoln Memorial has the Preseason Bowler of the Year on their roster as well, with junior Christine Hansen (Aalborg, Denmark) taking home the honor.
The Lady Railsplitters received seven first-place votes to finish with 187 points. Last season, Lincoln Memorial reached the final of the ECC Championship for the third consecutive year before falling to Caldwell. LMU also begins the 2019-20 campaign ranked No. 13 in the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) Top 25 poll.
The optimistic outlook for Lincoln Memorial is due in part to five All-Conference honorees returning from last season. First Team selections, Justine Brookover and Tyra Sanchez, and Second Team honorees, Marisol Dodson and Mary-Kate Kersting, join Hansen as the key returnees.
Hansen was awarded the conference's Preseason Bowler of the Year award after being named First Team All-Conference pick and the ECC Co-Bowler of the Year a season ago. Hansen was among the national leaders in numerous statistical categories in 2018-19. She finished third in 10th frame Baker average (21.973), second in 10th frame Baker fill percentage (90.3) and 11th with a 20.313 overall Baker average. Hansen also topped the ECC in all three categories, as well as Baker format first ball 9+ percentage (74.8) and anchor bowler 10th frame double percentage (33.9).
Adelphi earned four first-place votes and 184 points to finish just behind Lincoln Memorial. The Panthers, who are ranked No. 22 in the NTCA Top 25 preseason poll, are looking to end a two-year title drought after they repeated as conference champions in 2016 and 2017.
Defending ECC Champion, Caldwell, starts their title defense as the No. 3 team in the poll. The Cougars, who are just outside the NTCA's Top 25 poll as the first team listed in the others receiving votes category, received the final three first-place votes.
Molloy totaled 139 points to finish in fourth, followed by Kutztown with 137 to come in fifth. Chestnut Hill, Wilmington, Roberts Wesleyan, Felician, and Daemen round out the top-10.
League newcomers Tusculum and Mercyhurst are next at No. 11 and No. 12, while Bloomfield and St. Thomas Aquinas wrap up the poll at No. 13 and No. 14.
2019-20 ECC Women's Bowling Preseason Poll
| School | Pts. |
| 1. Lincoln Memorial (7) | 187 |
| 2. Adelphi (4) | 184 |
| 3. Caldwell (3) | 164 |
| 4. Molloy | 139 |
| 5. Kutztown | 137 |
| 6. Chestnut Hill | 127 |
| 7. Wilmington | 114 |
| 8. Roberts Wesleyan | 87 |
| 9. Felician | 83 |
| 10. Daemen | 78 |
| 11. Tusculum | 58 |
| 12. Mercyhurst | 46 |
| 13. Bloomfield | 40 |
| 14. St. Thomas Aquinas | 26 |
( ) - first place votes
