MEAC Announces 2016-17 Women’s Basketball Preseason Honors

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 16^th 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. [lasso align=”right” cart=”y” identifier=”B011DSRNB6″ locale=”US” tag=”hbcusports-20″ ref=”amzn-campus-merchandise-ncaa-north-carolina-at-aggies-long-sleeve-hoodie-medium-white” type=”single” id=”71966″ link_id=”5105″]

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  (7^th), Savannah State (8^th), Howard (9^th), South Carolina State (10^th), Delaware State (11^th), Norfolk State (12^th) and North Carolina Central (13^th).

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.

First Team

Second Team

Third Team

Courtesy: MEAC