ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The two-time defending MVC champion Drake women's basketball team will enter the 2024-25 season with more lofty expectation after the league announced its preseason poll and preseason all-conference teams on Tuesday morning. The Drake women were picked to repeat at league champions and landed two individuals on the player awards list including
Katie Dinnebier, the Preseason Player of the Year.
The Bulldogs earned 566 total points and got 39 of 48 possible first-place votes. Both UNI (504 points) and Belmont (475 points) rounded out the top three and were the only other programs to garner first-place selections.
The remainder of the poll was made up of Murray State in fourth (391 points), Missouri State in fifth (380 points), UIC in sixth (347 points), Illinois State in seventh (341 points), Valparaiso in eighth (193 points), Indiana State in ninth (189 points), Southern Illinois in 10th (167 points), Bradley in 11th (97 points), and Evansville in 12th (96 points).
Individually, Drake's all-world tandem of
Katie Dinnebier and
Anna Miller were both included on the Preseason All-MVC First Team. Dinnebier, the reigning MVC Player of the Year, received the same recognition in this preseason cycle.
Dinnebier became ninth player in program history to win Jackie Stiles MVC Player of the Year last season and was also named to All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team and All-Defensive Team. She earned MVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team honors and collected Patty Viverito MVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player award. The Waukee High School graduate was included as a finalist for Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year award. She led Drake and was atop or near the top of the league with 18.1 points, 6.9 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game and eclipsed 1,000 career points as a junior, currently sits at 1,333. Dinnebier ranks 10th all-time with .370 career three-point percentage and second all-time with .856 career free throw percentage, fourth all-time with 548 career assists, marking the seventh player in program history to dish out 500+ assists, and cracked top 10 on all-time steals list with 188.
Last season,
Anna Miller won the second MVC Defensive Player of the Year award of her career and was also named to MVC All-Defensive Team and All-MVC First Team. She had another spectacular academic year with inclusion on the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team and State Farm MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and won her second straight Elite 17 Award. Miller averaged 13.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game, shot .542 from the field and .250 from three and had a career high 25 points in MVC Tournament title game vs. Missouri State, including the game-winning score as time expired (3/17). The Rochester, Minnesota native became the 37th player in team history to eclipse 1,000 career points, currently sits with 1,072. She ranks eighth all-time with .541 career field goal percentage, 10th all-time with 7.2 rebounds per game, and second all-time with 214 career rejections.
The rest of the Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference teams are listed below.
The Bulldogs will start their title defense with a pair of exhibition matchups in late October before tipping off the regular season at North Dakota State on Nov. 4.
PRESEASON POLL RESULTS
- Drake – 566 (39 first-place votes)
- UNI – 504 (six first-place votes)
- Belmont – 475 (three first-place votes)
- Murray State - 391
- Missouri State - 380
- UIC - 347
- Illinois State - 341
- Valparaiso - 193
- Indiana State - 189
- Southern Illinois - 167
- Bradley - 97
- Evansville – 96
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
Katie Dinnebier Sr. Drake
Grace Boffeli Sr. UNI
Maya McDermott Sr. UNI
Anna Miller Sr. Drake
Lacy Stokes Sr. Missouri State
Katelyn Young Gr. Murray State
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
Jailyn Banks So. Belmont
Kendal Cheesman Sr. Belmont
Leah Earnest 5th Valparaiso
Tuti Jones Gr. Belmont
Keimari Rimmer Gr. UIC
Maya Wong Gr. Illinois State
