HUTCH WOMEN START NO. 12 IN PRESEASON NJCAA RANKINGS

Kayla Barber (30) and Alicia Brown (11) are back to lead the No. 12 Blue Dragon Women's Basketball team in 2017-18. (Joel Powers/Blue Dragon Sports Information)
Kayla Barber (30) and Alicia Brown (11) are back to lead the No. 12 Blue Dragon Women's Basketball team in 2017-18. (Joel Powers/Blue Dragon Sports Information)
October 26, 2017
NJCAA DIVISION I WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON RANKINGS
1. Gulf Coast State
2. Trinity Valley
3. Shelton State
4. Chipola
5. Salt Lake
6. New Mexico
7. Tallahassee
8. Seward County
9. Jones County
10. Odessa
11. Walters State
12. Hutchinson
13. South Georgia Tech
14. Wabash Valley
15. Northwest Florida State
16. South Plains
17. Northeastern Oklahoma A&M
18. Iowa Western
19. Florida SouthWestern State
20. Harford
21. Midland
22. Tyler
23. Vincennes
24. Southern Idaho
25. Western Nebraska		 200
192
184
176
168
160
152
144
136
128
120
112
104
96
88
80
72
64
56
48
40
32
24
16
8
Others Receiving Votes: Cochise; Collin County; San Jacinto-North.

HutchCC Sports Information

Already a preseason pick to win the Jayhawk Conference, the Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team opens the new season ranked No. 12 in the NJCAA Division I Women's Preseason Rankings released on Tuesday.

This is the ninth-straight season that the Blue Dragons are ranked in the NJCAA preseason rankings. This is the first time since 2010 that Hutchinson isn't ranked in the Top 10.

The Blue Dragons come off a 33-2 season in 2016-17 where they won the Jayhawk Conference championship and captured the Region VI Tournament championship. The Blue Dragons were upset in the second round of the NJCAA Tournament.

Eleventh-year head coach John Ontjes has just three players returning from last season.

Guard Alicia Brown is the only player back who played in all 35 games last season and started in three. Brown averaged 7.1 points and 4.7 rebounds with 46 assists and 39 steals. Brown shot 42.6 percent from the floor.

Also back are guard Brianna Bradshaw and forward Kayla Barber. Bradshaw averaged 9 minutes per game in 27 games last season and averaged 1.7 points per game. Barber averaged 7 minutes per game in 28 games played last year. She averaged 2.8 points and 2.1 rebounds.

The Blue Dragons and Seward County are the only Jayhawk Conference teams ranked in the preseason rankings. The Saints are No. 8.

Hutchinson's opens its season next Wednesday against the Bethany College JV at 5:30 p.m. at the Sports Arena. The Blue Dragons next play Lamar at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, November 7 before opening conference play at Seward County on November 11.