HIGH POINT, N.C. - The Barton College women's basketball team received the most points to earn the top spot in this year's Conference Carolinas Preseason Coaches' Poll.  Each school's head coach ranks teams from top to bottom for the entire league and this year's poll had two different teams receiving first place votes.  Barton collected eight first-place votes ahead of Limestone with four who finished second in the poll. Mount Olive rounded out the top tier with a third place finish as voted on by league coaches.

The Queens University of Charlotte Royals received 79 points tying with Belmont Abbey College in the fifth place spot. The Royals are coming off of 14-14 season where they finished fifth in the league with a 12-8 record. Queens made it to the semi-final round of the conference tournament before falling to the eventual tournament champion Barton College Bulldogs.

This season brings a youthful appearance to the Royals with a combined total of ten in the freshmen and sophomore classes.  Newcomers will add a needed depth and versatility to the squad. Their early contribution will be key to the Royals' success this season. With no seniors on the team, junior letter-winner Dyonna Battle (Rocky Mount, N.C., Rocky Mount) will be depended upon to help lead her team. Key losses include Queens' all-time leading scorer and rebounder Marissa Hudley (Charlotte, N.C., Harding University ) alongside Shakaria Hamlin (Hartsville, S.C., Hartsville) and Jazmine Edmonds (Manassas, Va., CD Hylton).

After concluding a banner year last season that featured winning the Conference Carolinas regular season title, the 2011 Conference Carolinas Tournament and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Division II National Tournament, the Barton College women's basketball team will be a target of excellence from all opposition throughout their Eastern Division, the entire league, and in the Southeast Region.  The three-time reigning league champions wrapped up last season with a program-best 26-5 record after losing its last game to the eventual national champions Clayton State University.  BC boasted an 18-2 record in league play.

The Lady Bulldogs are guided by 23rd year head coach Wendee Saintsing, who is the two-time reigning Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year. Saintsing returns a deep class of 12 letter winners featuring Second Team All-Conference/Freshman of the Year/ Tournament MVP Nyeshea Willie and Third Team All-Conference/Southeast Regional All-Tournament Team award winner Jannetta Robinson. Janae Jackson and Jolanda Mitchell also started in majority of last year's games.

Coach Saintsing added five talented newcomers that all have a chance to crack the lineup and will be looking for one Lady Bulldog to step into the point guard position vacated by All-Region and First Team All-Conference honoree Jamila Johnson, who led the conference in assists and her team in scoring last year during her final senior season.
Following a record-shattering season, Limestone College has been voted to finish second in this year's coaches poll and, in turn, are favored to win the inaugural Western Division title. The Saints return all five starters from a 2010-11 team that finished 19-9 overall and 14-6 in the conference. The 19 wins set a program record for most wins as an NCAA Division II member and is the second highest win total in school history.

Maria Young, the team's leading scorer over the past two seasons, returns following a First-Team All-Conference selection last year and is primed to become the 10th player in school history to break the 1,000-point plateau in only her junior season. Young set Limestone's single season record during the 2010-11 campaign with 80 three-pointers while her 526 points last year ranks fifth all-time in LC's 30-year history.

Joining Young will be Second-Team All-Conference selection Tia Williams, who started all 28 games a season ago, along with senior starters Lauren Pace and Kaileigh West. In her final season, Pace is on target to break the school's all-time assists record while West pulled down an impressive 207 rebounds during 2010-11. Stephanie Hayes and swat-master Ashley Robinson will join a solid group of freshman and junior talent, giving the Saints one of their deepest benches in recent memory. 

Mount Olive College may be in rebuilding mode in 2011-12 after graduating four starters, including the conference player of the year, from last year's Conference Carolinas regular season and tournament runner-up. The Trojans do return All-Conference Carolinas forward/guard Andrea Jones, who ranked seventh in the conference in scoring with 14.7 points per game. Also returning are forward Alyssa Luebs and point guard Destinee Webb, both of whom have seen time in the starting lineup during their first two years at Mount Olive.

Mount Olive posted a 21-8 record last year, the Trojans' third 20-win season in the last four years to finish second in the regular season standings.  The Trojans won the 2008 Conference Carolinas Tournament and were runners-up in the 2009 & 2010 tournament championships.

Pfeiffer came in fourth followed by Erskine, King & North Greenville (tied), Coker, Lees-McRae, and Converse in 6-12 respectively.

This year is the first year where divisional play will be used in Conference Carolinas. Divisions are divided into Eastern and Western sides with a regular season champion being awarded to each division winner. In women's basketball, with seven teams representing the Western Division, there will be five tournament representatives. The Eastern Division will have three representatives from five eligible teams.

For tournament championship play, each division winner will receive a No. 1 tournament seed (No. 1A and No. 1B will be determined based on higher overall conference winning percentage). From there the No.1A seed will play the Western No.5 with the No.1B seed playing the Western No. 4. Eastern No. 2 will always play Western No. 3 with Western No.2 always playing Eastern No.3 in the opening round.