ST. LOUIS – The Drake University women's basketball team is the favorite in the 2019-20 Missouri Valley Conference Preseason poll for the fourth-straight year, the league office announced Thursday morning.
Drake, which has won three-straight Missouri Valley Conference regular season titles, will vie
for a four-peat in 2019-20. Senior
Becca Hittner (Urbandale, Iowa), the back-to-back Jackie Stiles MVC Player of the Year, is the 2019-2019 MVC Preseason Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Redshirt senior
Sara Rhine (Eldon, Mo.), a two-time All-MVC First Team choice, is on the preseason team with Hittner for the second-straight year.
Hittner and Rhine are joined on the All-MVC Preseason First Team by Karli Rucker of UNI, TeTe Maggett of Illinois State and Nicole Martin of Southern Illinois.
Drake fans will have the opportunity to check out the 2019-20 team when it hosts Central Missouri on Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. in its first exhibition contest at the Knapp Center.
2019-20 MVC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll Rankings (Points) (First Place Votes)
- Drake, 359 (31)
- Missouri State, 329 (8)
- UNI, 297 (1)
- Bradley, 255
- Southern Illinois, 235
- Illinois State, 212
- Loyola, 188
- Valparaiso, 126
- Indiana State, 111
- Evansville, 88
