By: Bryan Schwartz
Two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships in three years and a Sweet 16 appearance means one thing for the Quinnipiac women’s basketball team: high expectations.
The Bobcats have been selected as number one in the 2017-18 MAAC preseason poll for the second consecutive season.
Junior forward Aryn McClure has been tabbed the preseason MAAC Player of the Year, two seasons removed from her conference rookie of the year campaign (2015-2016). Junior forward Jen Fay was also named to the preseason All-MAAC First Team.
McClure was on the preseason all-MAAC team in 2016-17, but ended up a member of the conference third team at season’s end.
McClure led the Bobcats in rebounds per game with 5.8 per contest and assists per game with 2.9. The New York native averaged 9.1 points per game, good for third on the team.
It will be McClure leading the way for this Quinnipiac team as seniors Adily Martucci and Morgan Manz graduated, leaving her, Jen Fay and Paula Strautmane to guide the ship on the court.
Quinnipiac won the MAAC regular season title in 2016-17, going 17-3 in conference play. They went on to defeat Canisius, Iona and Rider to clinch the MAAC title and advance to the NCAA tournament. Wins against five-seeded Marquette and four-seeded Miami advanced Quinnipiac to face number one South Carolina in the Sweet 16. They ultimately fell 100-58, though it was the farthest the program had ever reached in the NCAA tournament.
Martucci claimed last season after her third MAAC championship, “We’re trying to make history.”
It is now up to McClure and company this season to continue that legacy.
Quinnipiac opens up their 2017-2018 season against Iowa on Nov. 10 at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.
