June 19, 2003

FAIRFAX, VA...George Mason's women's basketball team was picked to finish fourth in a 2003-04 preseason poll conducted by the Colonial Athletic Association's (CAA) ten head coaches. Mason, which went 14-12 last season and returns 11 letterwinners, garnered 59 points in the poll, which was released by the conference office Wednesday.

Old Dominion grabbed nine first-place votes and 81 points to top the poll, and was followed by UNC Wilmington (67) and Delaware, which snagged the other first-place vote and 64 cumulative points.

The coaches also selected two preseason all-conference teams, with Patriots Jen Derevjanik and Vernessa Neamo earning honors. Derevjanik was named to the first team, while Neamo was placed on the second team.

Derevjanik earned Second Team All-CAA honors after the 2002-03 season when she ranked among the league's top 10 players in five categories. Her 15.9 points per game was fifth in the conference, as was her 4.12 assists per game. She was second in assist to turnover ratio (1.65), sixth in steals (2.19 spg) and tenth in field goal shooting (42.4 percent).

Neamo ranked among the conference's top ten players in four categories. She was ninth in scoring (13.3 ppg), second in steals (2.62 per game) and third in overall rebounds (7.8 rpg) and defensive rebounds (5.62 per game).

The complete preseason coaches poll:
1. Old Dominion (9), 81
2. UNC Wilmington, 67
3. Delaware (1), 64
4. George Mason, 59
5. James Madison, 51
6. Virginia Commonwealth, 38
t7. Hofstra, 26
t7. William & Mary
9. Drexel, 23
10. Towson, 15

Preseason First Team All-CAA:
Jen Derevjanik, GMU
Cherie Lea, UNCW
Monique Coker, ODU
Tiara Malcolm, DEL
Corrina Turner, ODU

Preseason Second Team All-CAA:
Sharese Grant, ODU
Cyndy Wilks, VCU
Vernessa Neamo, GMU
Amaka Agugua, HOF
Catherine Scanlon, DREX