INDIANAPOLIS – The Lewis University and Drury University women’s basketball teams have been selected to win the East and West Divisions, respectively, for the upcoming 2014-15 Great Lakes Valley Conference season, it was announced by the conference office Thursday.  The annual GLVC Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll was voted on by the league coaches and ranks the top-eight teams in each of the conference’s two divisions.  Last year, ­Lewis was the favorite to win its division, while Drury was picked 5th.
 
Lewis (23-6, 16-2 GLVC in 2013-14) was a unanimous selection to win the East Division, garnering 13 of 15 votes as conference policy prohibits coaches from casting a vote for their own team.  The Flyers collected 118 points to take the top spot and have recently been ranked No. 8 by the Division II Bulletin for the sixth time since the 2008-09 season.  Lewis coming of its second consecutive NCAA Tournament run in 2013, returns five starters, including junior forward Mariyah Brawner-Henley, who has been named to the DII Bulletin “Super 16” selection, which highlights the best two players in each of the eight NCAA Division II regions.  The reigning, GLVC Player of the year led the Flyers and the nation with 23 double-doubles, after averaging 18.2 points and 12.1 rebounds per game.  Lewis successfully claimed the GLVC East Division title last year, but fell to eventual champion Truman State in the GLVC Championship Tournament quarterfinals 84-70 (Mar. 6) before earning an NCAA Midwest Region bid, where they defeated Missouri- St. Louis (69-64) and fell to GLIAC member Wayne State (80-87).
 
Drury was the frontrunner for the top spot in the GLVC West Division preseason rankings earning 112 points and 12 first-place votes.  The Panthers finished last season 27-4 overall, and 16-2 in conference play were tabbed No. 3 by DII Bulletin.   Last year, Drury clinched a bye in the first round of the 2014 Deaconess GLVC Tournament after earning a road win against Missouri Science & Technology 91-54 (Feb. 27), and later fell to Maryville 56-55 (Mar. 6) in the quarterfinals round.  The Panthers continued their post season run in the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament, after earning three consecutive wins against Truman State (74-68), Quincy (78-58), and Wayne State (99-63).  Those victories earned Drury a bid to the Elite Eight for the third time in the program's history, where the Panthers lost to eventual national champion and unbeaten Bentley in the national quarterfinals in Erie, Pa.  Drury returns three starters including seniors Sanayika Shields and Shelby White, and junior Annie Armstrong to start the 2014-15 campaign.
 
In the East, the University of Indianapolis (23-9, 13-5) has been picked to finish second earning 98 points, and one first-place vote, while the University of Southern Indiana (19-9, 12-6) was picked third with 97 points and also received one first-place nod, and Bellarmine University (13-14, 9-9) came in fourth with 74 points.  The University of Wisconsin-Parkside (8-18, 4-14) collected one first-place vote and was picked to finish fifth with 60 points.  Saint Joseph’s College (6-20, 3-15) followed in sixth place with 53 points, while University of Illinois Springfield (7-19, 3-15) garnered 38 points for seventh place, and McKendree University (9-17, 4-14) received 30 points to round out the poll.
 
Of the two divisions this season, the conference coaches are predicting a gaping race in the West.  In addition to Drury, four other schools earned the remaining four first-place votes.  Quincy University (23-7, 14-4) received one first-place vote and was picked to finish second with 94 points.  Maryville University (13-14, 7-11) earned a first-place recognition and was picked to finish third with 93 points, while current league champion Truman State collected two first-place votes and was picked to finish fourth with 89 points.  Missouri-St. Louis leaps two spots from last season poll to fifth place and was awarded 64 points, William Jewell College (11-16, 6-12) received 47 points placed sixth, followed Missouri Science & Technology (9-18, 5-13) in seventh place, and Rockhurst University (9-18, 4-14) in eighth place received 26 points to complete the West Division.
 
The 2014-15 GLVC women’s basketball season officially opens Friday, Nov. 14, with 12 teams in action.
 
 The complete 2014-15 GLVC women’s Basketball Preseason Poll follows:

Rank	East Division (1st)	Points		Rank	West Division (1st )	Points
1.	Lewis (13)	118		1.	Drury (12)	115
2.	Indianapolis (1)	98		2.	Quincy (1)	94
3.	Southern Indiana (1)	97		3.	Maryville (1)	93
4.	Bellarmine	74		4.	Truman State (2)	89
5.	UW-Parkside (1)	60		5.	Missouri-St. Louis	64
6.	Saint Joseph’s	53		6.	William Jewell	47
7.	Illinois Springfield	38		7.	Missouri S&T	40
8.	McKendree	30		8.	Rockhurst	26