Logger Men, Women Picked Second In NWC
SPOKANE, Wash. - Each picking up one first place vote, both the Puget Sound men and women have been picked to finish second in the Northwest Conference, as predicted by the coaches and announced on Thursday afternoon.
On the men's side, the defending champion Loggers collected 63 points to finish behind Whitworth, who garnered eight first place votes and one second place vote to collect 88 points. Puget Sound returns a pair of All-Northwest Conference players in senior Austin Boyce (Kent, Wash./Kentwood) and sophomore Nadav Heyman (Corvallis, Ore.) as well as a talented freshman class that brings size and speed to the always explosive Loggers. Linfield is expected to finish third, followed by Lewis & Clark, Pacific, Whitman, George Fox, Willamette and Pacific Lutheran.
On the women's side, the Loggers are second behind defending national champion George Fox. The Loggers picked up 68 points, including the one first place vote, while the Bruins collected 88 points to garner the top sport. The Loggers will be led in 2009-10 by senior guard Claire Ely (Walnut Creek, Calif./Northgate), who averaged 12.9 points per game in 35.9 minutes per game played a year ago. Whitman is predicted to finish third in the women's standings, followed by Pacific, Whitworth, Lewis & Clark, Pacific Lutheran, Willamette and Linfield.
The basketball season will tip off on Nov. 16 when the Puget Sound women head up to Kirkland to take on Northwest University. The Logger men will open their season the next day when they play host to Evergreen State.
