WOMEN'S TEAM PICKED FIFTH IN PRE-SEASON POLL

RICHMOND, Ky. – Coach Larry Joe Inman's Eastern Kentucky University women's basketball team has been picked fifth in the pre-season poll of the Ohio Valley Conference sports information directors and head women's basketball coaches.

Tennessee Tech received 14 of the possible 20 first-place votes and was selected to win the 1999-2000 league crown. UT Martin was picked second, followed by Middle Tennessee in third, Southeast Missouri in fourth and Eastern Kentucky in fifth.

Rounding out the bottom five teams were Murray State in sixth, Tennessee State in seventh, Austin Peay in eighth and Eastern Illinois and Morehead State tied for ninth.

"I really like the makeup of our team. They have compassion and heart," said Inman, beginning his 12th year at the helm of the Lady Colonel program.

"We're really excited about their effort and attitude so far. We're going to play an up-tempo game and play people hard, all 40 minutes. We were disappointed in the way last season ended. I believe that was the first team that I've had that just quit. This year's team is a different story," Inman added.

Two Colonels received pre-season All-OVC recognition.

Junior forward Charlotte Sizemore, a first-team All-OVC player last year as a sophomore when she averaged 17.6 points per game, was named to the first-team all-conference unit, while senior guard Marla Gearhart, who was injured in the eighth game of the season last year and was forced to miss the rest of the season, was given honorable mention All-OVC.