Northern Michigan, Wayne State Lead 2014-15 GLIAC Women's Basketball Preseason Polls

by Brian Lester, GLIAC Contributor

The Northern Michigan Wildcats and Wayne State Warriors have been voted divisional favorites for the 2014-15 GLIAC Women's Basketball season. Hillsdale senior forward Megan Fogt was selected as GLIAC Preseason Player of the Year after earning All-America honors last season.

No one can question how good the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is based on the league’s recent success in the postseason.

Michigan Tech was the national runner-up in 2011, and twice in the last three years, Ashland played in the national championship game, winning it all in 2013. A year ago, Wayne State advanced to the Sweet 16.

All three teams will be among the best in the GLIAC again this year, with the Warriors featuring a national player of the year candidate in Shareta Brown.

Brown was an All-American last season and is ready to lead WSU into contention for not only the GLIAC title, but the national title as well.

But the Warriors won’t have an easy path. The North Division is loaded. MTU returns all five starters and Northern Michigan, which won the GLIAC tourney and played in the NCAA tourney last year return several key players, including two of their best defensive standouts.

Hillsdale welcomes back an All-American in GLIAC Preseason Player of the Year Megan Fogt while Ferris State and Grand Valley State have the pieces in place to be contenders. Lake Superior State also brings back experience with eight letterwinners back while Saginaw Valley and Northwood should improve greatly this year.

Ashland has a chance to win the South as four of its five starters are back while Findlay is ready to overcome a tough year and get back to competing for the league title and a berth in the NCAA tournament again.

Malone is coming off an appearance in the GLIAC tourney championship game and appears to be poised to make another run at that title.

Walsh closed last season strong and hopes to carry that momentum into this year and come through with a winning season. Tiffin should be improved as well and should at least battle for a berth in the conference tournament.

There is certainly no clear-cut favorite in either division, and the tournament title in the conference will be up for grabs in what should be an exciting season in the GLIAC.