Women's Basketball Predicted to Finish Third in A10 Preseason Poll

League Release

Newport News, Va. – Fordham women's basketball has been predicted to finish third in the Atlantic 10, while junior Anna DeWolfe and graduate Kendell Heremaia were chosen to likely repeat their awards from the conclusion of the 2020-21 regular season in the league's annual preseason coaches' poll, the conference announced Wednesday morning.
 
"I'm not one that puts a lot into preseason polls, but I feel this could be the strongest A-10 season yet and to be picked third speaks a lot to our success and consistency." Head coach Stephanie Gaitley said.
 
DeWolfe, the reigning A-10 Co-Player of the Year, has been named to the preseason All-Conference First Team, while Heremaia was chosen for the Second Team, honors that the duo earned in the Spring. The Rams totaled 163 points in the preseason poll, good for third place behind Dayton (193) and Rhode Island (174). The Flyers received 11 first-place votes, while Rhody garnered two and VCU received one. Saint Louis and VCU rounded out the top-five, tied at 144 points.
 
DeWolfe became the program's third-ever Player of the Year this past March and second in the past two seasons following Bryson Cavanaugh in 2020. The Cumberland, Maine native was just the fourth Ram to ever average more than 20 points per contest, scoring 20.8 points over 18 contests during last year's shortened season. She was named First Team All-Conference and All-Academic, as well.
 
Heremaia was named Second Team All-Conference after averaging 12.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and leading the team with 58 assists, adding 21 steals and four blocks, as well, over 29.7 minutes per game. The New Zealand international is just 26 points away from 1,000 for her career and is also eighth all-time in career three-pointers (170) and 11^th in career rebounds (632). A likely full season of starts will boost Heremaia into the top-five in the program record books for both games played and started and possibly the top-three.
 
"I'm confident that Anna and Kendell are ready to pick up where they left off last season. Both are playing with a lot of confidence. We have our most challenging schedule to-date and it will take great efforts from everyone!" Gaitley added.
 
Fordham is coming off a 12-6 overall record, 8-2 in league action, and a fifth WNIT bid in the past nine years. The Rams saw three All-Conference selections, with Kaitlyn Downey finishing on the Third Team, for the first time in the Atlantic 10 era and fourth time overall, plus two All-Academic honorees, Downey joining DeWolfe for that, just the second time two Rams have done that in the same year. As always under Coach Gaitley, Fordham finished inside the top-50 in Division I in scoring defense, allowing just 57.4 points per game, ranked 31^st in the country.
 
The Rams return four of their five starters and 91% of their scoring from a year ago, while adding senior transfer Asiah Dingle and five other newcomers. Coach Gaitley called the team's nonconference schedule the "toughest she's ever had as a coach", which you can read all about here, but includes a trip to Notre Dame, Michigan State and Florida Gulf Coast at home, and the three-game Cancun Challenge, featuring games against multi-time NCAA champion Baylor, Houston, and Arizona State.
 
Fordham begins its 2021-22 campaign on November 9 against Quinnipiac at 6 p.m.