source: wbuathletics.com
Wayland Baptist is ranked No. 8 in the 2022 NAIA Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Top 25 Poll.
The Flying Queens, who were ranked second in last year’s final poll before being upset in an opening round championship game, are the only Sooner Athletic Conference team ranked, although Science & Arts of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City received votes, the equivalent of No. 29 and 31, respectively.
Wayland has three ranked teams on its non-conference schedule, one of which the Flying Queens will face this weekend when they open their season playing in the Holiday Inn Express Tip-Off Classic in Dubuque, Iowa. After debuting against William Penn (Iowa) at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Wayland meets 19th-ranked Clarke (Iowa), the tournament host, at 1 p.m. Saturday.
WBU’s two other games against ranked teams will be played in Plainview, on Nov. 11 against 23rd-ranked Loyola (La.) and on Nov. 27 against ninth-ranked Concordia, Neb.
Defending national champion Westmont (Calif.) is ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll, which was voted on by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences, independents and unaffiliated groups.
After this weekend’s trip to Iowa, the Flying Queens – coming off last week’s very encouraging exhibition at New Mexico State – play two more road games – at Jarvis Christian in Hawkins, Texas, on Nov. 4 and at LSU-Alexandria on Nov. 6 – before making their home debut Nov. 11 against Loyola.
First-year coach Jason Cooper believes the Flying Queens are on the verge of something special.
“The Queens were very close to a national championship the last two seasons. I’m ready to … continue with what Alesha (former coach Alesha Ellis) has done and take that next step to the national championship,” Cooper said.
Cooper’s task is continuing the tremendous tradition of the Flying Queens, college basketball’s winningest women’s program just five wins short of 1,700.
“We are excited about ushering in a new era in Flying Queens basketball with a lot of new faces on board, both coaches and players alike, all of whom are ready to continue the program’s long and storied history of success,” Cooper said.
The Flying Queens went 13-1 during the abbreviated COVID season. Wayland repeated as SAC regular-season champion then went on to claim a third straight SAC Tournament title. The Flying Queens were ranked No. 2 in the nation before being knocked off in the final of the opening round pod by Mount Vernon Nazarene, Ohio.
Four players return off that team, led by a pair of all-Americans in Kaylee Edgemon and Jenna Cooper. Edgemon is a three-time all-American honoree, earning first-team honors last season when she also was named SAC Player of the Year. The 5-foot-11 forward from Littlefield averaged 18.9 points and 8.1 rebounds a game. Cooper, a 6-foot forward from Claude, averaged 16.1 points and 8.4 boards and earned All-SAC First Team.
Also back is Kaylee’s sister Kaitlyn Edgemon, a 5-foot-11 forward who was named the SAC Freshman of the Year after averaging 8.7 ppg and 5.8 rpg. Another veteran is Ashlyn Shelley, a 5-foot-7 guard from Idalou, “who saw some big minutes and started in some key games a year ago,” Cooper said. Taking on an expanded role will be junior guard Jessica Medcalf. “We will lean hard on these girls to lead the way.”
The additions of transfer guards Angel Hayden, a 5-foot-7 senior from Canyon (Texas Tech/Angelo State), and Sable Darnell, a 5-5 junior from Amarillo (Frank Phillips), will bring more collegiate experience to the mix.
The roster includes seven freshmen rookies in guards Taryn Shultz, Emily Sigala, Katelynn Dodds and Maggie Anderson, and forwards Damilola Ajisafe of Spain, Holli Scoggins and 6-foot-2 Allison Giles..
“I am very excited about our crop of freshmen who have shown great energy and enthusiasm during our early workouts. We will need a couple of these ladies to step up and play some important minutes,” Cooper said.
As for what to expect from the 2021-22 Flying Queens, Cooper said it will be fast-paced.
“We will look to bring an exciting, up-tempo offense and a high pressure defense to the floor as we compete against some of best small college competition in the country in the SAC,” he said. “As the two-time defending champions of the SAC, our expectations are incredibly high as we embark on this journey. I have no doubt that these young women are up to the challenge.”
NAIA Women’s Basketball Preseason Top 25
RANK LAST TIME SCHOOL [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] RECORD POINTS
1 4 Westmont (Calif.) [19] 15-1 560
2 1 Thomas More (Ky.) 29-2 542
3 3 Campbellsville (Ky.) 20-3 496
4 5 Marian (Ind.) [1] 27-6 494
5 10 Southeastern (Fla.) 26-3 493
6 7 Morningside (Iowa) 29-3 490
7 6 Carroll (Mont.) 21-3 426
8 2 Wayland Baptist (Texas) 13-1 413
9 17 Concordia (Neb.) 22-9 398
10 15 Vanguard (Calif.) 7-5 389
11 12 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 19-5 377
11 20 Indiana Wesleyan 24-6 377
13 14 Dakota State (S.D.) 27-4 376
14 13 Indiana Tech 27-3 314
15 18 Lyon (Ark.) 15-2 312
16 11 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 19-6 284
17 RV Central Methodist (Mo.) 13-6 277
18 9 Sterling (Kan.) 30-1 237
19 8 Clarke (Iowa) 23-3 226
20 RV Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 18-4 169
21 RV Montana Western 17-10 138
22 NR Bushnell (Ore.) 11-2 135
23 21 Loyola (La.) 21-2 132
24 NR The Master’s (Calif.) 7-5 116
25 NR Taylor (Ind.) 19-7 108
Receiving Votes: Saint Xavier (Ill.) 89, Columbia (Mo.) 83, Providence (Mont.) 58, Science & Arts (Okla.) 50. Pikeville (Ky.) 39, Oklahoma City 38, St. Francis (Ill.) 36, Rust (Miss.) 34, Dordt (Iowa) 30, Talladega (Ala.) 23, Bellevue (Neb.) 16, Bethel (Tenn.) 16, LSU Shreveport (La.) 15, Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) 14, Northwestern (Iowa) 12, Tabor (Kan.) 10, Eastern Oregon 5, Benedictine (Kan.) 3, Bryan (Tenn.) 3.