SUWANEE, Ga. – Oglethorpe University returns to the hardwood this season after soaring all the way to the Final Four for the first time in school history a year ago. That success coupled with a senior laden team finds the Petrels the pre-season favorite to win the 2008-09 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference League Championship based on exclusive voting by the coaches of the conference.

Oglethorpe received 8 of 11 first place votes and came in with 98 total points while the coaches’ second choice, DePauw University received the remaining first place votes and a total of 93 points.

The Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels are coming off the heels of the most successful season in the history of the program with a trip to last years Final Four and a fourth-place national finish. The Petrels however may have worked harder than ever before this off season after losing to DePauw for the second straight year in the SCAC Championship game Oglethorpe will be fighting for the first SCAC Championship in the program’s history this year.

Oglethorpe returns talent all over the court starting with All-American and 2007-08 SCAC Player of the Year senior guard Katie Kulavic. Kulavic, currently eighth on the conference’s all time points scored list (1,467), averaged 17.0 points (fourth in the SCAC) on 58.5% shooting from the field (first in the SCAC), 5.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists (seventh in the SCAC) a year ago. Classmates Anna Findley and Tina Grace will contribute both inside and out on a team with six seniors that have already won 69 games and counting in their careers. Findley, Second Team All-SCAC a year ago, is absolutely lethal from behind the arc having led the conference two years in a row in three point field goals made including a conference record 87 last year. The senior guard comes into the year after averaging 15.8 points (sixth in the SCAC), 3.38 steals (first in the SCAC) and 2.56 threes made (second in the SCAC) per contest last year. Grace, an Honorable Mention All-SCAC performer a year ago, averaged a team high 5.9 rebounds per game while also chipping in 12.1 points a night. Ron Sattele enters his fifth season at the helm for Oglethorpe with an impressive 78-38 record. The Petrels who return six of their top seven scorers from a team that averaged a league high 78.4 points per game a year ago are poised and determined to not only make a run at the programs first-ever SCAC Championship but yet another deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

DePauw University returns its top two scorers, senior guard Cassie Pruzin and junior forward Jenna Fernandez from a team that won its third straight SCAC Tournament Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for a fifth consecutive season under Head Coach Kris Huffman. Pruizin, the All-American and First Team All-SCAC everything player for the Tigers, averaged 14.4 points (10th in the SCAC), 4.2 assists (fourth in the SCAC), 6.3 rebounds (13th in the SCAC) and 2.56 steals (fourth in the SCAC) a year ago. Fernandez, a Second Team All-SCAC performer last year, returns as the teams leading scorer (14.5 points per game - ninth in the SCAC) and shot blocker with 20 (14th in the SCAC). The Tigers lost four seniors including two-time Defensive SCAC Player of the Year Kalei Lowes to graduation however under Coach Huffman - now in her 16th season (332-86) - DePauw will be ready to make a run at its fourth straight SCAC title.

Trinity University, the coaches’ third pick, looks to try and get back on top of the SCAC for the first time since the 2004-2005 season. The Tigers, in their fourth season under Head Coach Amie Bradley (57-23), will be headlined by Krista Prato Matthews. Prato Matthews, an All-South Region and All-SCAC honoree, produced 15.3 points (eight in the SCAC) per game and grabbed 9.3 rebounds each contest (second in the SCAC). She also accounted for a team-leading 71 steals. The 6-foot-1 Prato Matthews was ranked No. 22 in Division III in blocked shots per game (2.6). Along with Prato Matthews, Danielle Hubenak returns as the team leader in assists 3.3 (fifth in the SCAC) per game and steals with 41 last season. Hubenak, who also chips in 6.9 points per contest, takes care of the ball with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.22 - good for fifth in the SCAC last year. Coach Bradley and this group of hard-nosed Tigers are looking to contend for the title in what is promising to be one of the toughest conferences in the country this year.

Hendrix College is slotted at fourth and will rely on the play of junior forward Christina Byler, the league’s returning scorer at 19.2 points per game. Byler, the SCAC Newcomer of the Year and Second Team All-SCAC performer last year, also led the team in rebounding with 7.2 (ninth in the SCAC) per match. The Warriors return their top five scorers from a scoring offense that averaged almost 70 points per game. Chris Hitchcock, now in his fifth season (63-41) with the Warriors, is hoping to guide a veteran team past the first round of the SCAC Tournament for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

The coaches’ fifth pick, Austin College (now in its third full season as a member of the SCAC) will look to return to the conference tournament for the second time in three years. The ‘Roos, who have a 14-15 record in conference play since joining the league, will be led by junior post Katy Williams. Williams, a Second Team All-SCAC player, averaged a double-double a year ago with 18.7 points (second in the SCAC) and 11.2 rebounds (first in the SCAC) per game. The 5-10 post is the first player since 2005-06 (Rebekah Forsyth, Rose-Hulman) to average a double-double for a season.

The Colonels of Centre have been slotted as the pre-season number six team in the conference. Centre will look to build off of an 2007-08 campaign that saw the Colonels advance to the SCAC Tournament for the first time in five years. Head Coach Wendie Austin-Robinson now in her fourth season (17-51) will rely greatly on the play of junior guard Chelsea Goodman. Goodman, a Third Team All-SCAC selection a year ago, led the Colonels in nearly every statistical category - including points 13.2 (13th in the SCAC), rebounds 6.0 and assists 3.0 (ninth in the SCAC) per contest.

At the seventh spot Colorado College welcomes a new era with new Head Coach Liz Campbell. Campbell, who helped guide Oglethorpe as an assistant last season, will take over reigns of the Tigers in the program’s second season in the SCAC. Melanie Auguste returns as the headliner for Colorado College. Named First Team All-SCAC a year ago, Auguste set a league record for assists in a season with 192. The 5-6 guard averaged 15.3 points (seventh in the SCAC), 8.2 rebounds (eighth in the SCAC) and 2.65 steals (third in the SCAC) per game.

Rhodes College and Southwestern University tied as the coaches’ eighth selection.

Head Coach Matt Dean, who enters his eighth season at Rhodes (88-65), has the Lynx looking to get back to the SCAC Tournament after missing out last year for the first time since the tournament’s inception in 2002-03. The graduation of Ashley Farrell, the league’s fifth all-time career scorer (1,627), will certainly pose a question for Coach Dean. Part of the answer to replacing the points Farrell put up may just come at the free throw line where the Lynx shot a league high 76.3%. Becky Atnip returns as the leading scorer for Rhodes at 8.9 points per game.

Head coach Pam Ruder now in her fourth season (37-41) at Southwestern is looking to lead the Pirates past the first round of the SCAC Tournament for the first time in the program’s history. The Pirates, who are one of only four teams who have made the SCAC Tournament every year since it began in 2003-03, has yet to advance past the first round. Leading the Pirates will be Third Team All-SCAC standout a year ago, senior forward Natasha Azizi, who averaged 11.9 points while shooting 54.8% from the field (third in the SCAC), She also added 4.5 rebounds per game.

The Majors of Millsaps have been slated as the pre-season 10th team in the league. Millsaps will be looking to advance to the SCAC Tournament for the first time in the Bolton era. This the head coach’s third season in Jackson where she has posted a 10-38 mark in her first two seasons. Third Team All-SCAC performer Crystal Dickerson returns to lead the Majors after averaging 12.2 points and 7.8 rebounds (eighth in the SCAC) per game a year ago.

The coaches’ 11th pick, Sewanee-The University of the South, is looking to improve offensively after a year in which the Tigers averaged just under 59 points per game. Dickie McCarthy enters his sixth season at the helm with a 60-68 overall record. The Tigers returning leading scorer, Anne Willis (11.7 points per game), will be relied on heavily to guide this team back to the SCAC Tournament for the third year in a row.

Birmingham-Southern College enters its second year of a four-year provisional transition from Division I to Division III, and the Panthers games will not count in the league standings.

The 2008-09 season tips off Friday, November 14.

Note: First-place votes (in parentheses) are worth 10 points, second place worth nine points, on down to 10th-place votes being worth one point. Coaches voted for order of finish 1-10, but did not rank their own team. Results are displayed by division breakdown.