West Central Reporter

Brentwood, Tennessee - The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) has announced its preseason polls for the 2024-2025 basketball season. Western Illinois University (WIU) is projected to finish in sixth place with a total of 119 votes. Southern Indiana leads the poll with 200 votes and 20 first-place votes, followed by UT Martin with 180 votes and two first-place nods. Eastern Illinois, Tennessee Tech, and Little Rock complete the top five.

Last season, WIU participated in the OVC basketball tournament as the seventh seed during their inaugural year in the conference. They concluded the season with an overall record of 18-12 and a conference record of 9-9 but were eliminated in the first round by Tennessee Tech with a score of 78-69. This year, WIU returns nine players from last year's team, including three starters.

Two returning players have been highlighted by the OVC as "players to watch." Raegan McCowan, who was named OVC Freshman of the Year last season, will be returning for her sophomore year after an impressive freshman campaign. McCowan started in 28 games last season and averaged 19.4 points per game (PPG) and 8.1 rebounds per game (RPG), shooting at a rate of 46.1% from the floor. She set multiple records at WIU and was recognized on both the First-Team OVC All-Conference team and All-Ohio Valley Newcomer Team.

Addi Brownfield enters her third season with WIU following her best performance yet as a Leatherneck last year. As a sophomore, she averaged 10.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 3.5 assists per game (APG). Brownfield led her team in steals with 53 and was second in blocks with 18.

Among new additions to WIU's roster is forward Mia Nicastro, a transfer from Saint Louis University who had notable achievements during her time there. Other newcomers include freshmen Shelby Bowman from Biggsville, Ill., Madison Davis from Flossmoor, Ill., Katelyn Eggena from Waverly, IA., and Kennedy Herrig from Liberty, MO., all bringing strong high school records to their college careers.

The predicted order of finish for this season places Southern Indiana at the top followed by UT Martin and Eastern Illinois rounding out the top three positions.

For more updates on Leatherneck Basketball throughout the season visit GoLeathernecks.com or follow them on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.