Men Picked First; Women Seventh By Big South Coaches And SIDs

    ROANOKE, VA--The Winthrop men's basketball team has been picked to win its fourth consecutive Big South Conference championship while the Lady Eagles were voted to finish seventh in a poll of the league's head coaches and sports information directors released today during the conference's annual Media Day activities at the Roanoke Civic Center, site of the 2002 tournament.

    Coach Gregg Marshall's Eagles received 11 of a possible 15 first place votes to edge out Radford as the preseason favorite.  Winthrop defeated Radford 67-65 in overtime in the 2001 championship game.

    The complete men's composite poll is as follows: 1. Winthrop, 2. Radford, 3. UNC Asheville, 4. Coastal Carolina, 5. Liberty, 6. Charleston Southern, 7. Elon, 8. High Point.

    Marcus Stewart and Greg Lewis were picked on the five-man preseason All-Big South team.  Stewart was a first team selection in 2001 while Lewis was a 2000 All-Big South pick and last year's preseason co-player of the year before missing the season with a foot injury. The three other members of the select team include preseason player of the year Andrey Savtchenko of Radford, 2001 player of the year Torrey Butler of Coastal Carolina, and Elon's Brenden Rowell.  All five players are seniors.

    On the women's side, second-year head coach Cheryl Nix will enter the season with some extra incentive after her team was picked next to last.  The Lady Eagles have several new faces to go along with a quartet of veterans as they hope to move up in the standings this year.  Liberty's Lady Flames, winners of the last five championships, were again selected as the favorite to take home the crown and receive the league's automatic bid.

    The order of predicted finish for the women is as follows: 1. Liberty,  2. Elon, 3. Charleston Southern, 4. High Point, 5. Coastal Carolina, 6. UNC Asheville, 7. Winthrop, 8. Radford.

    Lady Eagle senior Charlotta Wennefors was voted to the six-woman  preseason All-Big South team.  She is joined by preseason player of the year Michelle Fricke of Liberty, Elon's Holly Andrews and Jamie Chikos, Charleston Southern's Erin Jedlokowski, and Jessica Guineri of UNC Asheville.