Women's Basketball | 10/16/2024 10:29:00 AM

Utah Tech was picked to finish seventh in the 2024-25 Western Athletic Conference women's basketball preseason coaches poll, which was released on Wednesday morning.

Grand Canyon received four of a possible nine first place votes and 59 total points to be tabbed as the WAC preseason favorite, while defending conference regular season and tournament champion California Baptist collected four first place nods to finish second in the poll with 58 points.

UT Arlington (1 FPV/53 pts) was picked to finish third, followed by Abilene Christian (37 pts) in fourth, Southern Utah (33 pts) in fifth, Tarleton State (28 pts) in sixth, Utah Tech (24 pts) in seventh, Utah Valley (17 pts) in eighth, and Seattle U (15 pts) was picked to finish ninth.  

Utah Tech returns three starters, along with five total letter winners and one redshirt from last year's squad, which concluded its fourth season of NCAA Division I play with a 18-14 overall record. 
 
The Trailblazers posted a fourth-place finish in the WAC Conference standings (12-8), which earned them a first-round bye. However the short-handed Blazers were handed a 72-57 quarterfinal loss by UT Arlington in the 2024 WAC tournament. 
 
Head coach JD Gustin begins his ninth year as Trailblazer head coach in 2024-25. Gustin has led the program to 37 combined wins over the past two years. Along with the 18 wins last season, his 2023-24 Trailblazers broke school records in made 3-pointers (327; #1 WAC/#6 NCAA), points (2,343), single game points (116), field goals made/attempted (853/1942), 3-pointers attempted (945), free throw percentage (.736) and fewest turnovers (420). 

Though Utah Tech returns three starters from last season's club, sophomore guard Calyn Dallas (6-1) will be the lone starter who will suit up this season. 

Dallas played in all 32 games with 18 starts and averaged 7.7 points on 43.8 percent shooting (88-of-201) and 3.7 rebounds a game. Dallas, who knocked down hit 55 3-pointers (55-of-154; .357) in her debut season, posted her first collegiate double-double with career highs of 22 points, 15 rebounds and six assists in the home win over Bethesda (12/16), and led Utah Tech with 21 points in the Trailblazers' WAC tourney loss to UT Arlington (3/14). In all, she scored in double figures in 12 games overall in her debut season. 

Meanwhile, redshirt junior guards Macie Warren (5-10) and Maddie Warren (5-10) both return, but the twin sisters are coming off season-ending injuries suffered late last season and will sit out the 2024-25 season as medical redshirts. 

Utah Tech has only one senior on its roster this season, that being redshirt senior Emily Isaacson (5-11), who returns after suffering a season-ending in the second game of the 2023-24 campaign. 
 
A 2022 all-WAC selection, Isaacson enters her final season as the program's all-time career 3FG percentage leader (.396) and is second all-time in career 3-pointers made (178). The senior is also ranked seventh in school history in points (804) and eighth in rebounds (429).

In addition, Utah Tech welcomes back sophomore post player Nicole Willardson (6-4), who averaged 2.5 points and 1.7 rebounds in 29 games during her collegiate debut season, along with redshirt freshman Kastyn Young (5-11). 

The Trailblazers brought in 11 newcomers to their program ahead of the 2024-25 season, four of whom off the transfer portal, including junior point guard Chardonnay Hartley (5-3) from Longwood, redshirt junior guard Brie Crittendon (5-10) from Eastern Kentucky, sophomore forward Lauren Crocker (6-4) from Utah State, and redshirt sophomore guard Mattie Olson (5-8) from Montana State.

Utah Tech also signed College of Southern Nevada junior transfer guard Aaliyah Ibarra (5-8), along with Utah prepster Ellie Taylor (G, 5-10) from Copper Hills HS, and Idaho high school standouts Paige Cofer (F, 6-0) from Eagle HS, and Mylee Graham (G/F, 6-0) from Rigby HS. 
 
Additionally, Utah Tech went international by signing Serbian guard Andjela Colic (Fr., 5-7), and added a pair of talented walk-ons in Canadian prep guard Ellie Clawson (Fr., 6-0), and College of Southern Idaho transfer guard Makeili Ika (So., 5-4), who prepped at Lone Peak HS in Utah County.  

Utah Tech opens its fifth season of NCAA Division I play on Monday, Nov. 4, with a matinee match-up vs. Northern New Mexico inside the Burns Arena at 11 a.m. The Trailblazers will open WAC play on the road at UT Arlington on Thursday, Jan. 9. 
 
Season tickets for the 2024-25 Trailblazer women's basketball campaign are currently on sale online at utahtech.evenue.net/events/WB. Utah Tech has 15 home games on its season docket, including marquee non-conference match-ups against in-state Weber State (Nov. 16), Big XII powerhouse Colorado (Nov. 27), Conference USA member UTEP (Dec. 14), and ACC member Pittsburgh (Dec. 21). 

2024-25 Preseason Women's Basketball Coaches' Poll
Rank  Team (FPV)                                      Points
1.         Grand Canyon (4)                            59
2.         California Baptist (4)                        57
3.         UT Arlington (1)                                53
4.         Abilene Christian                              37
5.         Southern Utah                                  33
6.         Tarleton State                                   28
7.         UTAH TECH                                     24
8.         Utah Valley                                       17
9.         Seattle U                                           15

2024-25 Preseason Women's Basketball Coaches' All-WAC Teams
Preseason Player of the Year: Trinity San Antonio, Sr., G, Grand Canyon
Preseason All-WAC Team
Payton Hull, So., G., Abilene Christian
Tiarra Brown, Gr., G/F, Grand Canyon
Trinity San Antonio, Sr., G, Grand Canyon
Daylani Ballena, Gr., G, Southern Utah
Avery Brittingham, 5^th Yr., F, UT Arlington