Skyline Conference Winter-Sport Preseason Polls Released
NEW YORK – The Skyline coaches have made their predictions for the upcoming winter sports season and the defending champions were picked to repeat in three sports and a runner-up selected in the final sport.
In women's basketball, the Bears were predicted to qualify for the postseason in sixth place, while last season's runner-up Old Westbury will enter as the preseason favorite.
Defending men's basketball champions Farmingdale State and men's and women's swimming champions U.S. Merchant Marine Academy were unanimous selections (coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team) to repeat in 2018.
The conference will crown champions in men's and women's basketball and men's and women's swimming and diving. Winners garner automatic bids to their respective NCAA Division III Championships.
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2017-18 Skyline Conference Women's Basketball
Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Old Westbury (5 first-place votes) - 72 pts.
2. Mount Saint Mary (1) - 68
3. Farmingdale State (2) - 67
4. Mount Saint Vincent (1) - 58
5. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (1) - 56
6. St. Joseph's-Brooklyn - 40
7. St. Joseph's-Long Island - 30
8. Purchase - 26
9. Yeshiva - 21
10. Sarah Lawrence - 12
2017-18 Skyline Conference Men's Basketball
Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Farmingdale State (10 first-place votes) - 100 pts.
2. Purchase (1) - 88
3. Yeshiva - 71
4. Old Westbury - 68
5. St. Joseph's-Long Island - 60
6. Mount Saint Mary - 59
7. Maritime - 58
8. Mount Saint Vincent - 33
9. Sarah Lawrence - 31
10. St. Joseph's-Brooklyn - 21
11. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy - 16
2017-18 Skyline Conference Swimming and Diving
Preseason Coaches Polls
Men's
2. Maritime (1) - 31
3. Mount Saint Mary - 26
4. Sarah Lawrence - 19
5t. Old Westbury and Purchase - 13
7. St. Joseph's-Brooklyn - 9
Women's
1. USMMA (7 first-place votes) - 49 pts.
2. Mount Saint Mary (1) - 41
3. Sarah Lawrence - 38
4. Maritime - 32
5. St. Joseph's-Long Island - 24
6. Purchase - 19
7. St. Joseph's-Brooklyn - 14
8. Old Westbury - 7