A year after finishing one of the most successful seasons in the program’s history, the UMBC women’s basketball program tops the 2011-12 America East preseason poll as determined by the league’s nine head coaches. The conference office unveiled the preseason poll today at the 2011 America East Basketball Tip-Off Luncheon at the Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford, host city of the 2012 America East Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship presented by Newman’s Own.

The Retrievers, the 2011 America East regular-season champions, picked up five first-place votes and 60 total points. Boston University followed with 56 points and defending tournament champion University of Hartford earned the final two first-place votes and 54 points. Binghamton University (43 points), University at Albany (37), University of New Hampshire (25) and University of Vermont (22) finished fourth through seventh in the poll. Stony Brook University (15) and University of Maine (12), each with first-year head coaches, round out the nine-team poll. Head coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams. l Read the full poll release l

All five women’s basketball players who earned all-conference first-team recognition after the 2010-11 season return in 2011-12 as America East Preseason All-Conference Team members. The league’s nine head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own players, determined the preseason all-conference team.

The reigning America East Player of the Year, Boston University junior guard Chantell Alford, headlines the preseason squad as a unanimous pick. The 2011 Defensive Player of the Year, University at Albany junior guard/forward Ebone Henry, and UMBC senior guard Michelle Kurowski also received all eight possible first-place votes. Binghamton University senior guard Andrea Holmes and UMBC senior forward Erin Brown round out the honorees.

This season marks the first since 1996-97 that all five preseason all-conference team members had also received first-team all-conference honors the previous year. This year’s five players represent five of 2010-11’s top six scorers in the conference. l Read the full preseason team release l