LILBURN, Ga. – With a 4-0 start to the season, Carson-Newman debuted at No. 20 in the first in-season Women's Basketball Coaches' Association poll announced Tuesday by the organization. The Lady Eagles are one of five teams that were not ranked in the preseason to move into the top 25.
The Lady Eagles are back in the top 25 for the first time since being ranked 20th in the Dec. 4, 2018 rendition of the rankings. The program spent a total of four weeks as a ranked team in 2018-19 reaching the highest mark in SAC history at No. 3.
Overall, Carson-Newman has been ranked for 51 weeks in the history of the Division II top 25 polls, second only to Wingate's 58 among south Atlantic Conference schools. This has become familiar territory for the program posting a 35-8 record in coach Mike Mincey's tenure when nationally ranked.
From the Southeast Region, the Orange and Blue are one of three teams to receive national recognition. Defending SAC champion Anderson ranks ninth while the reigning region titleholders, North Georgia, are No. 15. The Lady Eagles will face off against the Nighthawks on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Once again one of the elite scoring teams in the country, Carson-Newman is scoring 88 points per game, good for 15th nationally. The team has 47 made triples this season, the third-highest figure in Division II.
�� The honors keep rolling in for @CNwbasketball's @KaylaMarosites. The senior adds a weekly honor from the Tennessee Sports Writers Association. pic.twitter.com/burmRywbCa
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) November 19, 2019
Mincey's crew is led by senior guard Kayla Marosites (Elizabethton, Tenn.) who was named SAC Player of the Week on Monday and Tennessee Sports Writers Association Player of the Week on Tuesday. The two-time All-SAC pick leads the nation with three double-doubles and is averaging 19.8 points and 14.5 rebounds per game.
Five different players are averaging double figures for the Orange and Blue this season including a pair of freshmen in Braelyn Wykle (Greeneville, Tenn.) and Harli Smith (Jamestown, Tenn.). The pair are posting a combined 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists shooting 52 percent from the floor.
C-N turns its lens to the North Georgia Classic this weekend playing a pair of 2019 NCAA Tournament teams. It all begins on Friday at 3:30 p.m. against Clayton State with air time posted for 3:15 p.m. on the Eagle Sports Network by visiting cneagles.com/live or clicking on 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville).
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