In its first three seasons in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, Ashland University's women's basketball team has won the league every year.
The release of the 2024-25 Great Midwest women's basketball preseason poll on Wednesday (Oct. 30) afternoon shows circuit head coaches believing it will happen for a fourth straight time.
No. 5-ranked Ashland received 12 first-place votes and 157 voting points, while second-place Malone had one first-place vote and 128 voting points. Findlay came in third (122 voting points).
In 2023-24, Eagle women's basketball finished 31-2 overall and 20-0 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference – winning both the league regular-season and tournament championships and reaching the Round of 32 in the D-II tournament.
Ashland returns the conference's Freshman of the Year in now-sophomore guard
Lexi Howe (8.9 ppg., 3.4 rpg., 2.5 apg., 1.1 spg.), as well as first-team all-league senior forward
Zoe Miller (13.9 ppg., 4.7 rpg., 1.2 apg., 1.1 spg., 61.2 FG%, 41.5 3FG%), and second-team All-Great Midwest senior forward
Hayley Smith (9.8 ppg., 7.8 rpg., 1.6 apg., 58.9 FG%).
Miller's field-goal percentage was second-best in the country last season.
Over the last 13 seasons (2011-12 to 2023-24), Ashland is 390-41 (.905) with three NCAA Division II national titles, two national runner-up finishes, three undefeated seasons, a D-II-record 73-game winning streak, a D-II-record 39-game road winning streak (current), eight 30-win seasons, 12 NCAA postseason qualifications, nine conference regular-season championships, 10 conference tournament titles, and a mark of 210-14 (.938) at home.
Ashland women's basketball team will open its longest regular season in program history with two games at the D2CCA Tip-Off Classic in St. Joseph, Mo. – Saturday (Nov. 2) at 4:30 p.m. vs. Northwest Missouri State, and Sunday (Nov. 3) at 4:30 p.m. against Missouri Southern.
2024-25 GREAT MIDWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACHES PRESEASON POLL
| TEAM (FIRST-PLACE VOTES) |
VOTING POINTS |
| 1. ASHLAND UNIVERSITY (12) |
157 |
| 2. Malone (1) |
128 |
| 3. Findlay |
122 |
| T4. Hillsdale |
118 |
| T4. Kentucky Wesleyan |
118 |
| 6. Thomas More |
107 |
| 7. Northwood |
105 |
| 8. Walsh |
76 |
| 9. Ursuline |
64 |
| 10. Cedarville |
60 |
| 11. Ohio Dominican |
53 |
| 12. Tiffin |
50 |
| 13. Lake Erie |
25 |
