Titans Ranked In National Basketball Polls

The UW-Oshkosh women's basketball team will enter the 2017-18 season ranked in a pair of national polls.

UW-Oshkosh is ranked 11th in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com and 12th by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).

Last season the Titans won their first conference title in 11 years and advanced to the third round of the national tournament. UW-Oshkosh concluded the 2016-17 campaign ranked ninth by D3hoops.com and 12th by the WBCA with its 26-4 record.

UW-Oshkosh is the lone WIAC team in the WBCA's preseason poll. UW-Whitewater, last year's WIAC Tournament champion, heads into the season ranked 20th by D3hoops.com.

Defending national champion Amherst College (Mass.) tops the WBCA preseason poll while Tufts University (Mass.), last year's national runner-up, is ranked first by D3hoops.com. Both Amherst College (33-0) and Tufts University (30-3) are members of the New England Small College Athletic Conference.

The WBCA preseason poll has Tufts University ranked second, University of St. Thomas (Minn.) (31-1) third, Christopher Newport University (Va.) (29-3) fourth and Thomas More College (Ky.) (28-1) fifth.

D3hoops.com's top five teams during the preseason also include second-ranked Christopher Newport University, third-ranked Amherst College, fourth-ranked University of St. Thomas and fifth-ranked Thomas More College.

Amherst College secured the 2017 national title with a 52-29 victory over Tufts University in the championship game. Last year's final four teams also included Christopher Newport University and University of St. Thomas.

UW-Oshkosh returns a pair of starters among 11 letter winners for sixth-year head coach Brad Fischer, the 2017 WIAC Coach of the Year.

Senior forward Eliza Campbell headlines the UW-Oshkosh returning players after ranking second on the team with 10.8 points and 5.2 rebound per game a year ago. Campbell, a two-time All-WIAC first team selection, produced double-digit point totals 20 times last season while starting all 30 games.

Also back for UW-Oshkosh are senior starting guard Emma Melotik, sophomore guard Olivia Campbell, senior guard Jaimee Pitt, junior guard Chloe Pustina, junior forward Isabella Samuels and senior forward Madeline Staples.

Melotik, Olivia Campbell and Pustina each played in all of UW-Oshkosh's games last year while Pitt, Samuels and Staples averaged more than 10 minutes per contest a year ago. Melotik led the team with 42 3-pointers, and Samuels had a team-leading .628 field goal percentage.

UW-Oshkosh begins the 2017-18 season on Nov. 18 against Otterbein University (Ohio) at the Main View Tipoff Tournament in Manchester, Ind. The Titans conduct their home opener against Edgewood College on Nov. 21.

2017-18 D3hoops.com Preseason Poll

2017-18 Women's Basketball Coaches Association Preseason Poll