Quinnipiac Women’s Basketball Selected as MAAC Preseason Favorite; Bobcats’ Aryn McClure Repeats as Preseason Player of the Year
EDISON, NJ - The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) announced today that Quinnipiac University has been selected as the 2018 MAAC Women’s Basketball Preseason favorite, based on a vote by the league’s 11 head coaches. Bobcats’ senior guard/forward Aryn McClure, repeats as the 2018 Preseason Player of the Year.
Quinnipiac (28-6, 18-0 MAAC), the reigning MAAC women’s basketball champions, received 10-of-11 first place votes, for 120 points overall in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The Bobcats made an impressive run to the NCAA Second Round last season as a No. 9 seed. In the first round, Quinnipiac defeated the No. 8 University of Miami Hurricanes, 86-72 behind McClure’s near triple-double. The Bobcats season ended in the second round with a 71-46 loss to the No. 1 overall seed University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT.
Marist College placed second in the poll with 111 points overall. The Red Foxes finished the 2017-18 campaign 20-14, 14-4 MAAC and were the No. 2 seed in the championship. Marist returns 2017-18 All-MAAC First Team junior guard Rebekah Hand, 2017-18 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year senior guard Maura Fitzpatrick, and All-MAAC Second Team sophomore forward Alana Gilmer. The Red Foxes were awarded a postseason berth to the WNIT but fell in Queens, NY to St. John’s University, 68-47.
Siena College (96) was ranked third in the poll, Rider University (85) came in fourth, and Fairfield University (75) round out the top five. Manhattan College (68) is voted sixth by the coaches followed by Monmouth University (53) at seven. Canisius College (41) comes in at eight, Niagara University ranks ninth, Iona College is voted tenth and Saint Peter’s University (12) finishes off the poll.
Marist’s Alana Gilmer is voted to the Preseason All-MAAC First Team returns with the second-best returning field goal percentage (.475%) in the MAAC from a season ago and third-best points per game mark (15.5). The redshirt junior was a 2017-18 All-MAAC Second Team selection after posting team-highs in points (513), field goals made (199), field goals attempted (419) and blocks (24).
Rebekah Hand of Marist is the leading returning scorer in the MAAC from last season in points per game at a 16.1 clip. Hand was tied for 10
th in the conference rebounding with 6.2 boards per game. Hand led the MAAC and was third in the NCAA with 94-percent from the free-throw line, hitting 100-of-117. The Argyle, TX native was 2018 All-MAAC First Team as a sophomore and finished fifth in three-point shooting knocking down 39-percent from beyond the arc.
Quinnipiac’s Jen Fay earns Preseason All-MAAC First Team honors after being named the 2018 MAAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player and 2017-18 All-MAAC First Team. Fay recorded a double-double with a game-high 23 points versus Marist and 10 rebounds in the 67-58 win. The redshirt senior recorded a career-high in points per game (13.3), rebounds per game (6.7), assists per game (2.2), free-throw percentage (.735) and three-point percentage (.389).
Rider’s Stella Johnson was an all-around force for the Broncs last season leading the team in points per game (16), rebounds per game (6.2), assists (3.2), blocks per game (0.87) and steals per game (2.5). The Denville, NJ native was a member of the 2017-18 All-MAAC Second Team, 2018 MAAC All-Championship Team and was MAAC All-Rookie Team in 2016. The junior guard ranked third in the MAAC with 16 points per game and fourth in total points with 496.
Aryn McClure was selected as the MAAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Player of the Year for the second consecutive year in a row and a member of the All-MAAC First Team. The Springfield Gardens, NY product was a 2017-18 All-MAAC First Team selection with career-highs in points per game (12.2), assists per game (3.2) and improved her three-point game hitting 20 treys last year compared to one in her first two seasons. McClure was a triple double threat in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship scoring 13 points to go along with nine rebounds and nine assists versus No. 8 seed Miami.
The Preseason All-MAAC Second Team is made up of Canisius’ Sara Hinriksdottir, Manhattan’s Gabby Cajou, Marist’s Maura Fitzpatrick, Quinnipiac’s Paula Strautmane and Siena’s Maddie Sims.
The Preseason All-MAAC Third Team consists of Fairfield’s Khadidiatou Diouf, Marist’s Grace Vander Weide, Niagara’s Jai Moore, Siena’s Aaliyah Jones and Rider’s Lexi Posset.
The 2019 MAAC Basketball Championships returns to the
Times Union Center in Albany, NY for the fifth year in a row. The 2019 Men’s and Women’s Championships marks the 20
th time that Albany has hosted the event, more than any other location.
This year’s Women’s Basketball Championship game takes place on Monday, March 11 at 2:30 p.m. and airs live on ESPNU with the winner earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
For all information on the 2019 MAAC Basketball Championships, visit
maacsports.com/basketball. Be sure to follow the conversation on all social media platforms by using #MAACHoops.
| Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| 1. |
Quinnipiac (10) |
120 |
| 2. |
Marist (1) |
111 |
| 3. |
Siena |
96 |
| 4. |
Rider |
85 |
| 5. |
Fairfield |
75 |
| 6. |
Manhattan |
68 |
| 7. |
Monmouth |
53 |
| 8. |
Canisius |
41 |
| 9. |
Niagara |
34 |
| 10. |
Iona |
31 |
| 11. |
Saint Peter’s |
12 |
| Preseason All-MAAC First Team |
| Name |
Position |
Institution |
| Alana Gilmer |
Guard |
Marist |
| Rebekah Hand* |
Guard |
Marist |
| Jen Fay* |
Forward |
Quinnipiac |
| Aryn McClure* |
Guard/Forward |
Quinnipiac |
| Stella Johnson |
Forward |
Rider |
| Preseason All-MAAC Second Team |
| Name |
Position |
Institution |
| Sara Hinriksdottir |
Forward |
Canisius |
| Gabby Cajou |
Guard |
Manhattan |
| Maura Fitzpatrick |
Guard |
Marist |
| Paula Strautmane |
Forward |
Quinnipiac |
| Maddie Sims |
Forward |
Siena |
| Preseason All-MAAC Third Team |
| Name |
Position |
Institution |
| Khadidiatou Diouf |
Forward |
Fairfield |
| Grace Vander Weide |
Guard |
Marist |
| Jai Moore |
Guard |
Niagara |
| Lexi Posset |
Guard |
Rider |
| Aaliyah Jones |
Guard |
Siena |
| Preseason Player of the Year |
| Name |
Position |
Institution |
| Aryn McClure |
Guard/Forward |
Quinnipiac |
* Denotes unanimous selection
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 38
th year of competition during the 2018-19 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena College.