Women’s basketball

projected to claim

SBC West title

The DU women’s basketball team was selected by the league’s coaches to finish 1st in the SBC West preseason poll after their performance at the 2011 Women’s National Invitational Tournament last season.

The Pioneers also earned two individual honors. Senior forward Kaetlyn Murdoch was selected as the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Co-Player of the Year and was named to the SBC Preseason First Team. Junior point guard Emiko Smith was named to the SBC Preseason Third Team.

“The preseason awards are nice and they’re fun, but how much they mean will play out during the season,” head coach Erik Johnson said. “To be selected as the number-one team by our peers in the coaching world is a very nice honor and shows a sign of respect for what we’ve done and how far we’ve come.”

Shore named Offensive Player of the Week

Pioneer co-captain and center Drew Shore was named the Red Baron® WCHA Offensive Player of the Week Tuesday after contributing five scoring points in Denver’s two-game sweep of Minnesota State the previous weekend.

Shore, a junior, earned a +6 plus/minus rating and was involved in both game-winning goals as the Pioneers (3-2-1, 2-1-1 WCHA) dropped the Mavericks 4-2 and 10-2.

In the first game, Shore recorded a career-high four assists and his seventh career game-winning goal. Shore also contributed eight shots on goal in the series, had four hits and blocked two shots.

Shore has recorded 75 points in 87 career games with the Pioneers.