NORFOLK, Va. – The South Carolina State women's basketball team was picked to finish eighth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) as voted on by the conference's head women's basketball coaches and sports information directors.
 
Senior guard/forward Toni Grier was named to the Preseason All-MEAC Third Team. Last season, Grier averaged 4.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in 28 games.
 
Hampton junior Malia Tate-DeFreitas was selected the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Women's Basketball Preseason Player of the Year and North Carolina A&T State was predicted to win the regular season title.
Tate-DeFreitas, who has amassed 1,277 career points during two seasons at Hampton, averaged 21.3 points (1^st in MEAC), 3.0 steals (2^nd in MEAC), shot 77-percent from the foul line (6^th in MEAC) and 29-percent from behind the 3-point line (11^th) last year. She also ranked 14^th nationally in scoring and 15^th in steals. Tate-DeFreitas scored 20+ points 21 times, including a season- and career-high 39 points against Howard. She also registered a season-high six steals three times.

North Carolina A&T State totaled 310 points and 10 first-place votes to earn the top spot. Last year, the Aggies finished third in the conference with a 12-4 mark and a 20-11 overall record. N.C. A&T State returns three starters from last year's team with the addition of four newcomers. The Aggies open the season on November 14 at home against Florida Gulf Coast.

Hampton was picked to finish second with 307 points and 10 first-place votes. The Lady Pirates recorded a 19-13 overall record and a 14-2 mark in MEAC play. Hampton received a bid to the Women's NIT last season and defeated Drexel, 45-42, in the opening round before concluding the season with a loss to West Virginia in the second round.

Maryland Eastern Shore (259) received three first-place votes and was predicted to finish third, while Savannah State (239), the 2015 MEAC Basketball Tournament champions, garnered one first-place vote and Norfolk State (225) rounded out the top five preseason predictions.

Bethune-Cookman was chosen to finish sixth, followed by Coppin State (7^th), South Carolina State (8^th), Morgan State (9^th), Florida A&M (10^th), Howard (11^th), North Carolina Central (12^th) and Delaware State (13^th).

Joining Tate-DeFreitas on the Preseason All-MEAC First Team was Bethune-Cookman's Kailyn Williams, Norfolk State's Kayla Roberts, North Carolina A&T State's Adriana Nazario and Savannah State's Kenyatta Hendrix.

The 2015-16 MEAC women's basketball season tips off on Friday, Nov. 13 with eight MEAC teams in action.

The 2016 MEAC Basketball Tournament is scheduled for March 7-12 at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va.
  

Team	Points
1. North Carolina A&T State (10)	310
2. Hampton (10)	307
3. Maryland Eastern Shore (3)	259
4. Savannah State (1)	239
5. Norfolk State	225
6. Bethune-Cookman	212
7. Coppin State (2)	180
8. South Carolina State	162
9. Morgan State	138
10. Florida A&M	119
11. Howard	89
12. North Carolina Central	69
13. Delaware State	57

  

Name	Pos.	Cl.	School	Hometown
Malia Tate-DeFreitas	G	Jr.	Hampton	Harrisburg, Pa.
Kenyatta Hendrix	G	Jr.	Savannah State	Carrollton, Ga.
Adriana Nazario	G/F	Gr.	North Carolina A&T State	Charleston, W.Va.
Kayla Roberts	F	So.	Norfolk State	Miami Gardens, Fla.
Kailyn Williams	C	Jr.	Bethune-Cookman	New Orleans, La.

Name	Pos.	Cl.	School	Hometown
Kendra Cooper	G	Jr.	Bethune-Cookman	Spring, Texas
Braennan Farrar	G	So.	Morgan State	St. Louis, Mo.
Jordan Swails	G/F	Sr.	Coppin State	Upper Marlboro, Md.
Alexis Udoji	F	Sr.	Maryland Eastern Shore	Randolph, Mass.
Aprill McRae	C	Sr.	North Carolina A&T State	Raleigh, N.C.

Name	Pos.	Cl.	School	Hometown
Ryan Jordan	G	Sr.	Hampton	Manassas, Va.
Christina Carter	G	r-Sr.	North Carolina A&T State	Thomasville, N.C.
Toni Greer	G/F	Sr.	South Carolina State	Powder Springs, Ga.
Amber Bogard	F	r-Sr.	Delaware State	Cleveland, Ohio
Victoria Gonzales	C	Sr.	Howard	Atlanta, Ga.