Two days after the men’s basketball team was picked to finish atop the Sun Belt Conference, the women were selected to do the same.
In the annual preseason poll of league coaches, the Lady Mavericks received seven first-place votes and 136 points overall to lead the conference.
Senior center Rebekah VanDijk was labeled the Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Last season, she averaged 15.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.
VanDijk and senior guard Cierra Johnson were named on the all-conference first team. Johnson, the reigning Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year, led the conference with 93 steals last season, good for second in UTA single-season history.