Air Force, CSU women at bottom of MWC poll

LITTLETON • The Mountain West Conference released its 2009-10 women’s basketball preseason media poll and all-conference team Wednesday.

Colorado State will have an opportunity to surprise league observers this season, as the Rams were selected to finish eighth in the league for the second consecutive season, just ahead of in-state rival Air Force.

The Rams received 57 points while the Falcons got 31.

San Diego State, the co-MWC regular-season champion and one of four teams in the MWC to advance to the postseason, was tabbed as the preseason favorite with 25 first-place votes and 240 points. TCU, the only other team receiving first-place votes (3), came in second with 216 points, followed by Utah (185), New Mexico (168), Wyoming (121), BYU (109) and UNLV (97).

SDSU also led the way with a pair of preseason all-league selections in junior center Paris Johnson and senior guard Jene Morris. Morris is a two-time all-MWC selection and also earned preseason Player of the Year.

They are joined by New Mexico’s Amy Beggin, TCU’s Helena Sverrisdottir and Utah’s Kalee Whipple.