Kirchoff Named to All-Preseason Team; UCCS Picked Sixth in RMAC Coaches Poll

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - University of Colorado Colorado Springs sophomore guard Abby Kirchoff earned a spot in the 2012-13 RMAC Women's Basketball All-Preseason team as the Mountain Lions were projected to qualify for the RMAC Shootout in today's preseason coaches poll. UCCS was picked to finish sixth by the other conference coaches.

The Mountain Lions finished last year with a record of 17-13 overall and 11-11 RMAC, which eclipses the best conference and non-conference records the team has had in a decade. The last season the UCCS women's basketball team had a better record was in 2001-2002 when they finished 19-9 overall, 13-6 RMAC. Last year was also the first season that the Mountain Lions advanced to the semi-final round of the RMAC shoot-out since 2001-2002 when they hosted their first ever home-playoff game, but lost in the second round to Mesa State 57-51 in overtime.

The Mountain Lions return two starters from last year, Abby Kirchoff and Sami Gentile. Kirchoff enters her second season at UCCS as the second highest scoring freshman in school history as she averaged 12.2 points per game last year, which was also a team-high. Junior Sami Gentile also holds a number one record at UCCS as she shot 60% from the field her freshman season which is the record for single-season field goal percentage by any player with at least 50 attempts in UCCS history.

Senior, Lauren Wolfinger, enters her fourth season on the team, and needs just six more made three-point shots to crack the top ten for all-time 3-point shots made at UCCS. She currently has 96 made 3's in her career.

The team returns just one other senior, Krystal Pittman who begins her second season on the team and one other junior, Jeri Pikul, who enters her third season on the team. The Mountain Lions also return Sophomores Jessika Kienitz, Lauryn Near, Sam Patterson, Hannah Knight, Bre Burgesser, and Shannon Kelly, who all enter their second season on the team.

The Mountain Lions officially start their season on Friday, November 16, as they play Oklahoma Panhandle State in Alamosa, Colo. The team begins conference play on Friday, November 30, as they host Fort Lewis at the Gallogly Events Center with a tip-off time of 5:30 p.m.