SAN DIEGO – The Aztec women's basketball team was picked to finish ninth in the Mountain West preseason poll, the conference office announced Thursday afternoon. Boise State, who won the regular season and conference tournament, was picked to finish first, picking up 19 of 23 first place votes.
The Aztecs lost four starters and six players total from a year ago and return just 34.6 percent of their scoring from last season. Najé Murray (Stockton, Calif.), who was named to the Mountain West all-freshman team last year, is the Aztecs' leading returning scorer (9.3 ppg). She led all MW freshmen in three-pointers made per game and was fourth overall in scoring among freshmen.
"Our plan is to distribute the points differently than we've have in the past, and I think that's going to make us a tougher guard," head coach Stacie Terry explained. "We don't have just one or two players now who can score; we have a lot of kids that can put the ball in the basket. We're excited about that, but it's going to have to be done by committee."
For the second straight season San Diego State boasts a nationally ranked recruiting class. The Aztecs' 2018 recruiting class ranked 59th nationally (according to Propsects Nation). G/F Mallory Adams (Frisco, Texas), G Jayden Perez (Las Cruces, N.M.) and G Sophia Ramos (San Antonio, Texas) comprise the freshmen class.
Transfers Zayn Dornstauder (Ball State) and Taylor Kalmer (Oregon State) will also join the Aztecs this year, although Kalmer will sit out the 2018-19 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Dornstauder, a 6'3" center from Canada, redshirted at Ball State last year after playing two years at San Francisco as a reserve. Kalmer, a 5'8" guard, spent her past three years at Pac-12 powerhouse Oregon State where she averaged a career-high 6.0 points per game last season.
The Aztecs host Biola for an exhibition contest Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. and then kick off the regular season the following Friday when they host Hawai'i.
2018-19 MW PRESEASON PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
Rank/School (First-Place Votes) Points
1. Boise State (19) 229
2. UNLV (4) 208
3. Fresno State 175
4. Wyoming 158
5. New Mexico 150
6. Colorado State 128
7. Nevada 115
8. Utah State 86
9. San Diego State 64
10. Air Force 57
11. San Jose State 27
2018-19 MW PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Riley Lupfer, Jr., G, Boise State
Marta Hermida, Sr., G, Boise State
Candice White, Sr., G, Fresno State
Jaisa Nunn, Sr., C, New Mexico
Katie Powell, Sr., F/C, UNLV
PLAYER OF THE YEAR Riley Lupfer, Jr., G, Boise State
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Jade Loville, G, Boise State
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR Mollie Mounsey, Jr., G, Colorado State
Aztecs Picked to Finish Ninth in the Mountain West
