AUSTINTOWN, Ohio – Both of the Capital University basketball teams are projected to have strong seasons according to the Ohio Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Polls that were released Tuesday. The Crusader men were picked to win the OAC Regular Season Title while the women were tabbed second.
The Capital men earned a maximum nine first place votes (a team cannot vote for itself) to earn 81 points and was followed in the polls by Ohio Northern (one first place vote, 71 points), Wilmington (57 points) and John Carroll (54 points). CU returns three starters from a 2007-2008 squad that won the OAC Regular Season Title with a 16-2 conference record and a 24-6 overall mark. Nate Stahl (St. Henry, Ohio/St. Henry HS), recipient of All-America honors and the Mike Gregory Award (OAC MVP) last season, returns along with fellow senior Ryan Wood (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central HS) on the wing for the Crusader men.
On the women’s side, Baldwin-Wallace was selected as the slim favorite to win the OAC title with five first place votes and 77 total points. Capital followed with four first place votes and 73 points. John Carroll (one first place vote, 61 points) and Wilmington (57 points) took home the third and fourth spots in the Coaches Poll. CU will bring back its top four scorers from a team that finished 17-10 overall and 10-8 in OAC play last season including junior Kristen Richardson (Oxford, Ohio/Talawanda HS) and senior Caitlin Elsass (Batavia, Ohio/Clermont Northeastern HS).
The Capital University men’s basketball team will travel to UD Arena to take on Dayton in an exhibition game on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. CU will then open its 2008-2009 regular season schedule with a trip to the Case Western Reserve Tip-Off Classic on Nov. 21 & 22. The Crusaders will face Bluffton on Friday before taking on either host Case Western Reserve or Monmouth on Saturday. The Capital women will begin the 2008-2009 campaign with the Radisson UAA/OAC Challenge on Nov. 21 & 22. CU will take on host Carnegie Mellon on Friday and Case Western Reserve on Saturday.