NORFOLK, Va. — Hampton senior Malia Tate-DeFreitas was named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Women’s Basketball Preseason Player of the Year, the conference announced today. North Carolina A&T State was picked to win the regular season title.
The preseason poll and all-conference teams are selected by the conference’s head women’s basketball coaches and sports information directors.
Tate-DeFreitas led the conference in scoring last season, averaging 21.4 points for the Lady Pirates. She ranked seventh nationally in field-goal attempts and 16th in points per game. Tate-DeFreitas recorded five 30-point games and notched a triple-double of 13 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists against Bethune-Cookman last year. She was also named the 2016 MEAC Player of the Year and BoxToRow’s Player of the Year. [easyazon_infoblock align=”right” cart=”y” identifier=”B011DSRNB6″ locale=”US” tag=”hbcusports-20″]
North Carolina A&T State tallied 13 first-place votes and 317 points to earn the top spot. Last season, the Aggies earned a share of the MEAC regular season title with a 12-4 mark and an 19-12 overall record. Also, N.C. A&T State won the MEAC Women’s Basketball Tournament championship with a win over Coppin State. The Aggies open the season on November 11 in Statesboro, Ga. against Georgia Southern.
Bethune-Cookman, the 2016 regular season co-champion, was picked to finish second with 292 points and five first-place votes. The Lady Wildcats recorded an 18-13 overall record and a 12-4 mark in MEAC play.
Hampton (297) received four first-place votes and was predicted to finish third, while Maryland Eastern Shore (216) garnered two first-place votes and Morgan State (201) rounded out the top five preseason predictions.
Florida A&M was chosen to finish sixth, followed by Coppin State (7th), Savannah State (8th), Howard (9th), South Carolina State (10th), Delaware State (11th), Norfolk State (12th) and North Carolina Central (13th).
Joining Tate-DeFreitas on the Preseason All-MEAC First Team is Bethune-Cookman’s Kendra Cooper and Kailyn Williams, Maryland Eastern Shore’s Moengaroa Subritzky and Delaware State’s NaJai Pollard.
The 2016-17 MEAC women’s basketball season tips off on Friday, Nov. 11 with 12 MEAC teams in action.
The 2017 MEAC Basketball Tournament is scheduled for March 6-11 at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va.
| Team | Points |
| 1. North Carolina A&T State (13) | 317 |
| 2. Bethune-Cookman (5) | 305 |
| 3. Hampton (4) | 297 |
| 4. Maryland Eastern Shore (2) | 216 |
| 5. Morgan State | 201 |
| 6. Florida A&M | 174 |
| 7. Coppin State | 171 |
| 8. Savannah State (2) | 151 |
| 9. Howard | 141 |
| 10. South Carolina State | 131 |
| 11. Delaware State | 124 |
| 12. Norfolk State | 92 |
| 13. North Carolina Central | 46 |
First Team
| Name | Pos. | Cl. | School | Hometown |
| Malia Tate-DeFreitas | G | Sr. | Hampton | Harrisburg, Pa. |
| Kendra Cooper | G | Sr. | Bethune-Cookman | Spring, Texas |
| Moengaroa Subritzky | G/F | r-Jr. | Maryland Eastern Shore | Auckland, New Zealand |
| NaJai Pollard | F | So. | Delaware State | Richmond, Va. |
| Kailyn Williams | C | Sr. | Bethune-Cookman | New Orleans, La. |
Second Team
| Name | Pos. | Cl. | School | Hometown |
| Dana Brown | G | r-Sr. | North Carolina A&T State | Willow Springs, N.C. |
| Braennan Farrar | G | Jr. | Morgan State | St. Louis, Mo. |
| Kenyata Hendrix | G/F | Sr. | Savannah State | Carrollton, Ga. |
| Kayla Roberts | F | Jr. | Norfolk State | Miami, Fla. |
| Kaylah Lupoe | C | Jr. | Hampton | Phoenix, Ariz. |
Third Team
| Name | Pos. | Cl. | School | Hometown |
| Keena Samuels | G | Sr. | Coppin State | Upper Marlboro, Md. |
| K’Lynn Willis | G | So. | Hampton | Detroit, Mich. |
| Sydni Johnson | G/F | Sr. | Howard | Homewood, Ill. |
| Taylor Houston | F | Sr. | Bethune-Cookman | Raleigh, N.C. |
| Tiyonda Davis | C | Sr. | Savannah State | Athens, Ga. |
Courtesy: MEAC
