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GREENVILLE, SC – In the 2024-25 Conference Carolinas Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll, Belmont Abbey College and UNC Pembroke are picked as co-champions by the league’s women’s basketball coaches, the conference office announced on Thursday.

Both Belmont Abbey and UNC Pembroke accumulated 188 points in the preseason poll with the Crusaders earning eight first-place votes and UNC Pembroke taking the other seven first-place votes (schools can’t vote for themselves).

Belmont Abbey won three-of-four regular season titles before winning the Northwest Division last season while the Braves took the East Division crown and knocked off the Crusaders in the tournament title game for their second straight tournament championship.

Francis Marion University came in third with 172 points as the Patriots were followed by Emmanuel College with 142 points. North Greenville University and Young Harris College both received 120 points to tie for fifth.

Chowan University (116), Converse University (104), Barton College (102) and the University of Mount Olive (78) rounded out the top 10.

The poll was completed with Southern Wesleyan University (74), King University (69), new member Shorter University (48), and Erskine College and Lees-McRae College both receiving 27 points.

A trio of Chowan performers were listed among the conference’s Players to Watch: Yasmine Brown (a 5’-6” junior guard), Meara Carter (a 6’-3” senior forward), and former Hertford County High School standout Desiree Askew (a 5’-9” junior forward).

Lenise Stallings enters her fifth season as the head coach of the Chowan women. During the 2023-24 season, Stallings led the team to a 13-10 overall record and a 13-5 record in league play.

Chowan opens its 2024-25 at home on Nov. 19 vs. Regent University.

The 2025 Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships will get underway on Sunday, March 2 and Monday, March 3. The fourth, fifth and sixth seeds in men’s and women’s basketball will host two games over the two days. The 12th-seeded team will battle the seventh-seeded team on March 2 at the sixth seed for the right to face the sixth seed on March 3 The 11th-seeded team will battle the eighth-seeded team on March 2 at the home of the fifth seed for the right to face the fifth seed on March 3, while the 10th-seeded team will take on the ninth-seeded team at the home of the fourth seed on March 2 for the chance to take on the fourth seed on March 3.

The 2025 Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships quarterfinals are set for Friday, March 7 at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The semifinals will be contested on Saturday, March 8, while the men’s and women’s basketball finals are scheduled for Sunday, March 9.