The Bryan women's basketball team is projected to finish seventh this season according to the 2012-13 Appalachian Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll, the league announced Thursday.
Tennessee Wesleyan, which won the last two regular-season titles as well as the tournament crowns in 2010 and 2011, is picked to win the league again. Tennessee Wesleyan garnered 96 total points and received eight of the 10 possible first-place votes. Last season, Tennessee Wesleyan went 24-9 overall and 15-3 in the AAC, finished No.17 in the NAIA rankings and advanced to the NAIA Division II National Championship Tournament.
Union received the remaining two first-place votes and is second in the poll with 89 points. Union won the 2012 conference tournament, went 25-8 overall and 13-5 in the AAC, finished No. 25 in the NAIA rankings and also advanced to the NAIA Division II National Championship Tournament.
Rounding out the top five were Milligan (18-14 overall, 9-9 AAC) with 74 points, Montreat (20-10 overall, 11-7 AAC) with 72 and Virginia Intermont (20-12 overall, 12-6 AAC) with 69 points.
The rest of the field goes as follows: Reinhardt (13-18 overall, 8-10 AAC) with 45 points, Bryan (14-16 overall, 5-13 AAC) with 40 points, Columbia (8-23 overall, 3-15 AAC) with 32 points, Point (7-20 overall, 1-17 AAC) with 19 points, and AAC newcomer St. Andrews (0-24 overall) with 14 points.
The 2013 AAC Tournament will be held Feb. 20-23 at the Meadowview Conference Resort & Convention Center in Kingsport, Tenn.