TCU Picked To Win 2012 Mountain West Conference Title
10/11/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Oct. 11, 2011
2011 MW Basketball Media Day Central
DENVER, Colo. - The Mountain West announced its 2011-12 preseason women's basketball poll and all-conference team today at its Basketball Media Day held at The Mtn. Studios in Denver, Colo. The voting panel consisted of the league's eight head coaches and select women's basketball media.
TCU was tabbed as the preseason favorite after finishing second in the Mountain West last season and earning an at-large bid to the Women's National Invitational Tournament. The Horned Frogs received 12 first-place votes and 136 total points. San Diego State collected seven first-place votes and was picked to finish second with 127 points, while third-place Colorado State garnered the remaining first-place vote and 106 points. New Mexico (74 points) placed fourth, followed by UNLV and Wyoming in a tie for fifth (65 points each), Air Force in seventh (42 points) and newcomer Boise State in eighth (39 points).
Colorado State senior Kim Mestdagh has been named 2011-12 MW Preseason Player of the Year. Mestdagh, a 5-10 guard/forward, is the only senior in the league returning from the all-Mountain West team. Mestdagh averaged 17.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game and hit her 1,000th career point last season as a junior. She is joined on the preseason all-MW team by Air Force junior Dymond James, New Mexico junior Sara Halasz, TCU junior Starr Crawford and UNLV senior Jamie Smith.
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Dymond James, Jr., F, Air Force
Led Falcons in 2010-11 in scoring (11.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg) ... Only Air Force player to start all 31 games last season ... Ranked ninth in the MW in defensive rebound average (5.2 rpg) and tenth in overall rebounding average ... Her 356 points were the seventh-highest single-season total in Academy Division I history, while her 212 rebounds were third-best ... Led team with .439 field goal percentage, ranking seventh all-time in the Academy's Division I era.
Player of the Year: Kim Mestdagh, Sr., G/F, Colorado State
Second Team all-MW in 2010-11 and 2009-10 ... Finished 2010-11 season ranked in the top five in five statistical league categories - free throw percentage (.876; 1st; 16th in NCAA), 3-point field goals made (2.7 pg; 2nd), steals (1.9 pg; 3rd), 3-point field goal percentage (.380; 3rd) and scoring (17.1 pg; 4th) ... Scored 1,000th career point during junior year, currently has 1,233 career points (10th all-time at CSU) ... has not missed a free throw in 30 attempts since Jan. 19, 2011.
Sara Halasz, Jr., G, New Mexico
Missed the 2010-11 season with an injury, earning a medical hardship ... In 2009-10, finished second on the team in scoring and rebounding with 10.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game ... Started 30 of 32 games in 2009-10 and reached double-figure scoring 16 times that season.
Starr Crawford, Jr., F, TCU
Second Team all-MW in 2010-11 and honorable mention all-MW in 2009-10 ... Was an all-MW Defensive Team selection in 2010-11 ... Top returning rebounder in the league at 9.7 per game, ranking 36th in the nation ... Recorded eight double-doubles as a sophomore last year ... In MW action, was only player to average double-digits in points (12.7) and rebounds (10.0) per game.
Jamie Smith, Sr., F, UNLV
Two-time honorable mention all-MW selection in 2009-10 and 2008-09 ... Is a two-time Mountain West rebounding champion (2008-09 and 2009-10) and was third in 2010-11 with an 8.1 rpg average ... Has the most career double-doubles among active MW players with 28 ... On track to become only the second player in Mountain West history to reach the career mark of 1,000 rebounds. She currently has 880 going into the season ... Has 838 career points going into the season ... Expected to join Kim Smith (Utah; 2002-06) as the only two players with over 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds in Mountain West history.
Freshman of the Year: Chairese Culberson, F, San Diego State
No. 46-rated recruit nationally (at any position) and seventh-rated wing by Hoopgurlz/ESPN.com ... Highest ranked recruit in the Mountain West ... As a senior, led Berkeley High School to a 31-2 record and California Division I runner-up finish ... Averaged 13 points and 12 rebounds per game.
Newcomer of the Year: Chelsea Hopkins, Jr., G, San Diego State
Sat out last season after transferring from Duke ... Played two seasons for the Blue Devils (2008-10), seeing action in 46 games ... Prepped a Mojave High School in Las Vegas, where she led the state in scoring as a junior (27.7 pg) and senior (28.5 pg) ... Was the No. 63-rated recruit and 12th-rated point guard by Hoopgurlz/ESPN.com.
