BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Two members of the WKU women's basketball team were named to the Conference USA Preseason Team, the league announced on Thursday. Junior Alexis Mead and sophomore Acacia Hayes were named to the 11-person team.
The Lady Toppers were picked to finish in a tie for second place in the preseason poll. Both the poll and the preseason team are voted on by conference head coaches.
Hayes is coming off an impressive freshman in the 2022-23 season. She was named to the CUSA All-Freshmen Team and to the CUSA All-Tournament Team. The Murfreesboro, Tennessee native led WKU in scoring last season, averaging 11.2 points per game. She was the first WKU freshman to lead the Lady Toppers in scoring since Crystal Kelly did it in 2004-05. Additionally, Hayes averaged 12.4 points per game in CUSA play last season and 13.3 points per game in postseason play.
Mead was the team's leader in steals and assists in 2022-23. Her 1.85 assist/turnover ratio was the third best in CUSA and her 65 steals on the season were the fourth most in the league. Mead was named to the 2021-22 CUSA All-Freshmen Team for her stellar debut season with the Tops.
WKU finished the 2022-23 season with 19 wins and had a second place finish in regular season conference play, was the CUSA tournament runner up and earned a WNIT berth.
2023-24 CUSA Women's Basketball Preseason Poll:
1. Middle Tennessee (9)
T2. WKU
T2. Liberty
4. Louisiana Tech
5. UTEP
6. New Mexico State
7. FIU
8. Jacksonville State
9. Sam Houston
2023-24 CUSA Preseason All-Conference Honorees:
Tanajah Hayes, FIU
Kaliah Henderson, FIU
Emma Hess, Liberty
Anna Larr Roberson, LA Tech
Jalynn Gregory, Middle Tennessee
Savannah Wheeler, Middle Tennessee
Courtney Whitson, Middle Tennessee
Molly Kaiser, New Mexico State
Jane Asinde, UTEP
Acacia Hayes, WKU
Alexis Mead, WKU
How to Follow the Lady Toppers: For complete information on Lady Topper Hoops, visit WKUSports.com or follow the program via social media @LadyTopperHoops on X, @LadyTopperHoops on Instagram and on Facebook at facebook.com/WKUWomensBasketball.
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