DENVER – Louisiana Tech is the preseason favorite to win the Western Athletic Conference, while Utah State senior Ashlee Brown was selected as the WAC Preseason Player of the Year in a vote of the league’s eight head coaches, who could not vote for their own team or players.

The Lady Techsters received 47 points and five first-place votes to beat out Utah State for the top spot. The Aggies captured second place with 40 points and two first-place votes. Fresno State came in third place with 36 points and one first-place vote. Nevada finished fourth with 33 points, followed by Hawai‘i in fifth place with 22 points. New Mexico State came in sixth with 18 points, just ahead of Idaho in seventh with 17 points. San Jose State rounded out the poll in eighth place with 11 points.

Brown, the reigning WAC Newcomer of the Year, leads the list of Preseason all-WAC honorees. Joining her on the first team are Jasmine Bendolph and Whitney Jones of Louisiana Tech, Fresno State’s Rosie Moult and Kayla Williams of Nevada.

Second team selections include Devyn Christensen (Utah State), Kamilah Jackson and Shawna-Lei Kuehu (Hawai‘i), Taylor Thompson (Fresno State) and Tabytha Wampler (New Mexico State).

Louisiana Tech won the WAC regular-season title last year with a 15-1 record, while Fresno State won the WAC Tournament. Both teams fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

2011-12 Preseason Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll

Rank	Teams (1st-Place Votes)	Points
1	Louisiana Tech (5)	47
2	Utah State (2)	40
3	Fresno State (1)	36
4	Nevada	33
5	Hawai’i	22
6	New Mexico State	18
7	Idaho	17
8	San Jose State	11

2011-12 Preseason Women’s Basketball Coaches All-WAC Teams
First Team
Jasmine Bendolph, Louisiana Tech
Ashlee Brown, Utah State
Whitney Jones, Louisiana Tech
Rosie Moult, Fresno State
Kayla Williams, Nevada

Second Team
Devyn Christensen, Utah State
Kamilah Jackson, Hawai‘i
Shawna-Lei Kuehu, Hawai‘i
Taylor Thompson, Fresno State
Tabytha Wampler, New Mexico State

Preseason Player of the Year: Ashlee Brown, Utah State