UTC Women’s Basketball Picked Third and Fifth in Preseason SoCon Polls

(Gomocs.com) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — University of Tennessee at Chattanooga junior Lakelyn Bouldin was selected to the Southern Conference Coaches preseason all-conference team. The all-conference performer is the Mocs’ top returning scorer to a revamped lineup.

Bouldin was third on the team in scoring last season with 12.4 points per game and led the Mocs with 62 from beyond the 3-point arc. She led the league from the free throw line with an 87.7 percent performance and had 20 steals.

The Spencer, Tenn., native started 29 games for the Mocs and scored in double figures 17 times. She had a career-high 32 points against Hampton, making six 3-pointers while playing all 40 minutes.

Mercer’s KeKe Calloway was selected the preseason favorite for Player of the Year and was joined on the all-league team by her teammate Amanda Thompson. Erica Haynes-Overton was the only ETSU selection while Furman, UNCG and Wofford each placed two on the preseason team.

The league coaches’ poll, the Mocs were picked to finish fifth and third by the SoCon media. Chattanooga picked up 26 points in the coaches’ poll, one behind UNCG. Reigning champion Mercer received four of the eight first place votes and finished in a tie with ETSU for first. Both had 44 points. ETSU received three first place votes and Samford, who finished seventh in the voting, received the eighth vote. Furman, with 32 points was picked to finish third by the coaches.

The Media selected mercer to finish first with nine first place votes and 109 overall points. ETSU received four votes and 105 points for second while the Mocs received one first place vote and had 89 points for third by the media.

The Mocs will debut a new head coach this season, but she will be anything but unfamiliar to the conference. Katie Burrows spent the last eight seasons on the bench as an assistant to Jim Foster and Wes Moore. She played on four SoCon championships teams for the Mocs and has helped UTC to nine Southern Conference titles.

She is just the sixth varsity head coach for the women’s team and the second former player to rise to head coach, joining Sharon Fanning-Otis in that category.

UTC returns 55.4 percent of its offense from last season led by Bouldin’s 12.4 points per game. Also on the roster this season is Arianne Whitaker who had 28 starts at center and led the Mocs in rebounding and was fourth on the team in scoring. Brooke Burns, UTC’s all-tournament selection, was UTC’s number five scorer and shot 40 percent from the 3-point line.

Chattanooga opens the Katie Burrows era of women’s basketball on Tuesday, November 6 at the McKenzie Arena. The Mocs will welcome a strong Division II Lee University for the season-opener.

Tickets are on sale now at the McKenzie Arena and online at GoMocs.com for another exciting year of women’s basketball at the Roundhouse. UTC will host 14 games this season including Final Four participant Louisville and former head coach Wes Moore and his NC State Wolfpack. 

2018-19 Preseason Southern Conference Coaches’ Poll

2018-19 Preseason Player of the Year

KeKe Calloway, Sr., G, Mercer

2018-19 Preseason All-Southern Conference Team

2018-19 Preseason Southern Conference Media Poll