The Tusculum University women’s basketball team has been picked to finish ninth in the annual South Atlantic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, the SAC office announced Tuesday.
Guard Mya Belton was selected second-team preseason All-SAC in voting conducted by the media relations offices of the 13 SAC member schools.
The Pioneers finished tied for eighth in the SAC last season with a 10-14 league record and were eliminated by Wingate in the conference tournament quarterfinals to finish at 12-17 overall. Tusculum turned around a slow start to 2021-22 season by upsetting eventual Southeast Region champion and national quarterfinalist North Georgia in early December, and ran off five straight wins late in the year to earn a spot in the conference tournament as the eighth seed.
Head coach Meagan Price begins her third season with three starters and six regulars back from last year’s team. Tusculum has bolstered its lineup with the addition of a pair of transfers, along with four freshmen.
Belton, a graduate student from Blythewood, South Carolina, is the top returning scorer for the Pioneers at 12.1 points per game. Belton was the lone Pioneer to start all 29 games last season and finished second in the SAC in rebounds per game (9.3) and fourth in blocked shots (1.66 per game). Belton finished in double figures 20 times and had nine double-doubles. The 5-9 Belton enters her final season at Tusculum with 730 points and 122 three-pointers in 99 career games.
Carson-Newman (27-6, 20-4 SAC) earned the top spot in the preseason poll, earning seven first-place votes and 139 points to edge out Wingate (24-6, 21-3 SAC), which had the other six first-place votes and 136 points. Anderson (21-10, 19-5 SAC) received 116 points and took third place in the poll, followed by Catawba (23-7, 19-5 SAC) in fourth with 113 points and Limestone (17-11, 14-10 SAC) in fifth with 93 points.
Lincoln Memorial (10-17, 8-16 SAC) grabbed sixth place with 79 points, trailed by Lenoir-Rhyne (11-15, 10-14 SAC) in seventh with 74 points and Newberry (12-16, 12-12 SAC) in eighth with 71 points. Tusculum shared ninth place with UVA Wise (12-16, 12-12 SAC) with 60 points, followed by Coker (6-20, 5-19 SAC) in 11th with 33 points and Mars Hill (1-25, 1-23 SAC) in 12th with 27 points. Longtime Division III member Emory & Henry joined the SAC for the 2022-23 season and was last in the poll with 13 points.
Tusculum will open its 2022-23 season by participating in the SAC/Conference Carolinas Challenge at Catawba on Nov. 11-12. The Pioneers will face Mount Olive in their season opener on Friday, Nov. 11 at 6 p.m., and will play their home opener against Regent on Friday, Nov. 18 at 5 p.m. at Pioneer Arena. Tusculum’s conference slate tips off on Saturday, Dec. 3 at Lincoln Memorial, and concludes on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Catawba ahead of the SAC Championship tournament.
2022-23 SAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll
| Rank | School (First Place Votes) | Score |
| 1. | Carson-Newman (7) | 139 |
| 2. | Wingate (6) | 136 |
| 3. | Anderson | 116 |
| 4. | Catawba | 113 |
| 5. | Limestone | 93 |
| 6. | Lincoln Memorial | 79 |
| 7. | Lenoir-Rhyne | 74 |
| 8. | Newberry | 71 |
| T-9. | TUSCULUM | 60 |
| T-9. | UVA Wise | 60 |
| 11. | Coker | 33 |
| 12. | Mars Hill | 27 |
| 13. | Emory & Henry | 13 |
2022-23 SAC Women’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference
First Team
Quin Byrd, Limestone
Emily Harman, Lenoir-Rhyne
Lyrik Thorne, Catawba
Lindsey Taylor, Carson-Newman
Bryanna Troutman, Wingate
Braelyn Wykle, Carson-Newman
Second Team
Brandi Hudson, Lenoir-Rhyne
Hannah Clark, Wingate
Nia Vanzant, UVA Wise
Caitlyn Ross, UVA Wise
Reagan McCray, Limestone
Mya Belton, Tusculum
Third Team
Diamond McDowell, Anderson
Sara McIntosh, Catawba
Brittney Stafford, Anderson
Maddie Gillie, Mars Hill
Jordan Maney, Lincoln Memorial
Janiya Downs, Catawba
