SEATTLE – During the past five years, the Seattle Pacific Falcons have been climbing steadily up the Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball ladder.
 
Their aim for this winter is to keep on climbing.
 
SPU has been picked for a sixth-place finish in the upcoming conference campaign, as the preseason coaches poll was released on Friday afternoon.
 
The Falcons, who went 15-13 overall last year and 9-9 in GNAC play to take fifth place, received 51 points in the voting from the 10 conference coaches.
 
Montana State Billings was tabbed as a very slight favorite, receiving five of the 10 first-place votes and 94 points. The Yellowjackets went 25-8 last season, 14-4 in the GNAC for second place.
 
Right behind them in the poll is defending champion Western Washington. The Vikings collected four first-place votes and 91 points. They're coming off a 24-4 season, including 16-2 in the GNAC.
 
The other first-place vote went to Alaska Anchorage. The Seawolves are picked third with 75 points.
 
In 2019, head coach Mike Simonson's second year at the helm, the Falcons were picked for ninth, and ultimately finished seventh. In 2021 (there was no poll in 2020 because the conference season was canceled due to the pandemic shutdown), they were picked eighth, and again finished seventh. Last year, SPU was picked seventh and finished fifth.

 

"Obviously, we hope to be higher than sixth at the end of the year. Our goal is to climb and make the NCAA Tournament and win a conference championship – we strive for that every season," said Simonson, whose team knocked off Alaska Anchorage in the first round of last year's GNAC Tournament, then went down to the wire with top-seeded WWU before falling just short, 58-53.
 
"But it's a good starting point for our team," he continued. "I think we can have some humility where we're at too, with No. 6. At the same time, we have something to prove, as well, which is always a good thing. This is a great group that plays really hard, and they're excited to get out there and show how good they actually are."
 
 

The Falcons return just one full-time starter in 5-foot-7 point guard Hunter Beirne. She was one of just two Falcons to answer the opening whistle in all 28 games (now-graduated Natalie Hoff was the other) and averaged 6.5 points, 5.1 rebounds while dealing a team-high 95 assists. Her 910 minutes also led the team.
 
Schuyler Berry also played all 28 games at center, with five starts. The 6-3 junior averaged 7.4 points on a team-leading .472 shooting from the field, plus 3.4 rebounds.
 
Hailey Marlow is back for her senior season at guard. She averaged just 2.1 points, but is one of SPU's best defensive players.
 
Junior 5-10 wing Lolo Weatherspoon is another regular in the rotation. She saw action in 27 games with three starts, averaging 3.4 points.
 
Rounding out the returners are 6-3 post player Emilia Bishop, and 5-10 guard / forward Jalena Carlisle.
 
Seattle Pacific has six newcomers. Among those in that group are 6-foot redshirt freshman forward Grace Leasure, and junior 6-1 forward Olivia Mayer, a transfer from Whitworth. Mayer averaged 17.3 points and 11.5 rebounds in racking up 22 double-doubles for the Pirates last season.
 
The Falcons tip off with a pair of exhibition games, heading across town to take on the Washington Huskies on Monday, Oct. 30, at 7:00 p.m., then hosting Pacific University of Oregon on Friday, Nov. 3, at 6:00 p.m.
 
The official openers are Friday and Saturday, Nov. 10-11, with the West Region Crossover Classic at Western Washington in Bellingham. SPU faces Cal State Los Angeles on the first day and Cal State Dominguez Hills on the second, both at 4:30 p.m. Those two teams reached the NCAA West Regionals last year, and Dominguez Hills went all the way to the Elite Eight.
 
The second weekend, Nov. 17-18, will feature another pair of West Region qualifiers, this time in the Cougar Classic at Azusa Pacific. The Falcons tangle with host APU on the 17th at 6:00 p.m., and Cal State San Marcos on the 18th at 4:00 p.m.
 
After another preseason tournament in Colorado on Thanksgiving weekend, Seattle Pacific begins GNAC play at home on Thursday, Nov. 30, against Alaska Fairbanks at 5:15 p.m., followed by Alaska Anchorage on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 2:00 p.m. Both games will be the openers of doubleheaders. The SPU men face those same schools on the same dates, with Fairbanks at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Anchorage at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday.
 
 
2023-24 GNAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Rank      Team (1^st-place votes)                         Points      2022-23        GNAC (finish)
  1    Montana State Billings (5)    94      25-8     14-4 (2^nd)
  2    Western Washington (4)        91      24-4     16-2 (1^st)
  3    Alaska Anchorage (1)          75      18-10    10-8 (4^th)
  4    Simon Fraser                  68      10-13     8-10 (6^th)
  5    Central Washington            66      21-9     12-6 (3^rd)
  6    Seattle Pacific               51      15-13     9-9 (5th)
  7    Northwest Nazarene            42      11-15     7-11 (T 7^th)
  8    Saint Martin's                27      10-16     6-12 (9^th)
  9    Western Oregon                19      13-13     7-11 (T 7^th)
10     Alaska Fairbanks              17       4-21     1-17 (10^th)
 
Points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.