Columbia, Mo. – Today the NAIA national office announced the 2017-18 NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll. The Cougars will open their season at 16th in this year's preseason poll after being projected to finish third in the AMC behind third ranked Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) University and 14th ranked Lyon (Ark.) College.
Last season, the Cougars finished the year with a 26-7 record on the season and earned an at-large bid to the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championships after finishing third in the AMC regular season standings. Columbia College started the season with a 10-1 record and continued to play good basketball as the season progressed earning them a spot in the National Championships. The Cougars played well in their opening round matchup against the University of Montana Western but were unable to pick up the victory as they were defeated by a final score of 63-53. For their efforts throughout the season, Morgan Brandt and Ashlee Marlatt were both named NAIA Honorable Mention All-Americans and assistant coach Taylor Possail was named the WBCA NAIA Assistant Coach of the Year.
First year head coach, Taylor Possail, will look to lead the Cougars back to the NAIA National Championships this season as Columbia College returns four players that made 20 or more starts a season ago including Morgan Brandt, Ashlee Marlatt, Raegan Wieser, and Mai Nienhueser. Brandt, a 5-10 junior guard, started 31 games a season ago while leading the team in points per game (12.47) and rebounds per game (8.41). Marlatt, a 5-6 junior guard, started all 33 games for Columbia College finishing second on the team in scoring at 12.2 points per game and led the team in assists averaging 2.55 per contest. Wieser, a 5-11 sophomore forward, made 33 starts in her first season as a Cougar finishing third on the team in points per game (11.2) and rebounds per game (4.8) while recording a team high 31 blocks on the year. Nienhueser, a 6-0 sophomore forward, started 22 games last season averaging 7.7 points per game and finishing second on the team averaging 5.2 rebounds per contest.
In addition to the four returning starters, the Cougars will also bring back five players that got significant time a season ago. Jordan Alford returns to the lineup this season after getting injured 14 games into last season. The 5-7 sophomore guard, started all 14 games before getting injured averaging a team high 14.5 points per game and 2.35 assists per contest while knocking down 40.8 percent of her shots from the field and 36.3 percent of her shots from behind the arc. Sarah Walters, a 5-11 junior forward, appeared in 31 games last season making two starts. She averaged 7.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game as a sophomore. Grey Hayes, a 5-4 sophomore guard, made 33 appearances last season making one start on the year. She averaged 5.2 points off the bench and broke the Columbia College single game record for threes in a half after knocking down eight in the second half against Central Baptist (Ark.) College last season. Hannah Sutton, a 5-7 junior guard, appeared in 32 games last season making 11 starts while averaging 3.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. Alexis Uffmann, a 5-7 junior guard, appeared in 33 games last season making five starts on the year. She averaged 3.6 points per game and finished second on the team with 74 assists on the year.
To go along with the nine returning players for the Cougars, the team also added four freshman to this year's roster including 5-4 guard Abigayle Feeney (Scotland County High School), 5-11 forward Geena Stephens (Parkway Central High School), 6-1 forward Ukari McKinney (Hazelwood Central High School), and 5-11 forward Madison McGregor (Rockford High School).
Columbia College kicks off their season on Friday, November 3rd when they host Mount Mercy (Iowa) University as a part of the 2017 Cougars vs. Cancer Tip-Off Classic Presented by Cost Cutters. The game is set to tip-off at 5 p.m. in the Southwell Athletic Complex.
