Oct. 15, 2013
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- WKU Lady Topper Basketball junior All-America candidates Alexis Govan and Chastity Goochwere recognized by CollegeSportsMadness.com as preseason first team All-Conference selections by the outlet, it was announced recently. In addition, Govan was named the preseason Player of the Year in the league by the website.
Coach Michelle Clark-Heardwas also recognized as the preseason Coach of the Year by the outlet.
In her first year as coach of the Lady Toppers, Clark-Heard engineered one of the nation's best turnarounds. She led WKU to 13 additional wins over the prior season, setting the Sun Belt Conference record for largest win improvement. She also helped WKU to eight additional conference wins over the prior season, tying the league record. Following the regular season, she was named the 2013 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year.
The Lady Toppers return all five starters from a 22-11 team that reached the second round of the postseason and finished tied for second in the Sun Belt Conference. Among the top returnees are Govan, the third leading scorer in the nation last season among sophomores, and Gooch, the reigning Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year. The team returns seven letterwinners and an additional player that sat out due to a medical redshirt in addition to six newcomers.
The 2013-14 team will face a challenging slate of games, including a home contest with defending national finalist Louisville on Nov. 27 at E.A. Diddle Arena. A complete look at the 2013-14 schedule, including game times, is available at www.wkusports.com.
Season tickets for the 2013-14 season are currently available for purchase by contacting the WKU Ticket Office. Individuals can call the WKU Ticket Office at 1-800-5-BIG-RED to learn more about season ticket opportunities, visit www.wkusports.com or visit the ticket office in E.A. Diddle Arena.
Fans will have the chance to see the Lady Toppers in action on the court multiple times before the start of the regular season. Hilltopper Hysteria moves to a Saturday night for the first time and will take place on Saturday, Oct. 19. The free event at E.A. Diddle Arena begins at 6:00 PM CT that evening.
The Lady Toppers will also host two preseason exhibitions. WKU will play Kentucky Wesleyan on Oct. 29 and Glenville State on Nov. 3. Admission to the two preseason exhibitions is also free this season, allowing fans to get a taste of the excitement surrounding the Lady Topper Basketball program in advance of the start of the regular season.
For complete information on Lady Topper Basketball, visit www.wkusports.com, follow the program on Instagram via "LadyTopperHoops" or follow the program on Twitter via @LadyTopperHoops. The official twitter hashtag of the 2013-14 season for Lady Topper Basketball is #ClimbingTheLadder.
CollegeSportsMadness.com Preseason All-Conference Teams
First Team
Alexis Govan, WKU
Chastity Gooch, WKU
Taylor Ford, UALR
Joanna Harden, Troy
Jane Morill, Arkansas State
Second Team
Taylor Gault, UALR
Kendra Long, Georgia State
Laila Suleiman, UT Arlington
Ashleigh Simmons, ULM
Ashley Ezeh, Texas State
Player of the Year: Alexis Govan, WKU
Coach of the Year: Michelle Clark-Heard, WKU
Freshman of the Year: Jamie Ruffins, Arkansas State
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