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Following a co-regular season championship in 2021-22, Youngstown State has been tabbed the preseason favorite to capture the 2022-23 Horizon League women’s basketball championship and Cleveland State’s Destiny Leo has been selected the Preseason Player of the Year in voting by the League’s head coaches.

 Leo earned All-League First Team honors last season as she led the League with 18.7 points per game and 2.5 3-point field goals per game while shooting 43.7 percent from the floor, including a League-best 39 percent from 3-point range.

Youngstown State captured eight first-place votes to finish with 118 points and earn first place in the poll. The Penguins ended last season 24-7 overall and 18-4 in League play. Lilly Ritz represented YSU on the Preseason All-League First Team as she ranked in the top three in the League with 16.9 points per game, 9.5 rebounds per game and a 56.9 shooting percentage last season.

Joining Leo and Ritz on the Preseason All-League First Team are Green Bay’s Hailey Oskey, Milwaukee’s Megan Walstad and Northern Kentucky’s Lindsey Duvall.

Oskey earned All-League Frist Team honors in 2021-22 as she led the Phoenix with 12.5 points per game. Walstad scored 14.4 points per game last season as an All-League First Team honoree, adding 9.1 rebounds and shooting 48.8 percent from the field. Duvall averaged 16.5 points per game with 7.3 rebounds for the Norse and was voted to the All-League Second Team in 2021-22.

The Preseason All-League Second Team is comprised of student-athletes from five different institutions and includes 2021-22 Freshman and Sixth Player of the Year Bailey Butler of Green Bay, All-League Second Team selection Ivy Turner of Northern Kentucky, All-League Third Team honorees IUPUI’s Rachel Kent and Purdue Fort Wayne’s Shayla Sellers and 2022 Championship All-Tournament Team performer Breanne Beatty of Oakland.

Coming in second in the preseason poll with 106 points and two first-place votes is Green Bay. The Phoenix finished third in the regular season and advanced to the semifinals in Indianapolis last season.

Cleveland State is third in the preseason poll with 102 points and one first-place vote. The Vikings finished fourth in the regular season in 2021-22 and advanced to Indy for the semifinals for a third-straight year before falling in the championship game to IUPUI.

Northern Kentucky is fourth in the preseason poll for the third-straight season, totaling 88 points. Milwaukee finished fifth with 75 points.

 

In sixth place is defending champion IUPUI. Kate Bruce is in her first season as the head coach for the Jaguars.

 

Oakland (47 points) ranked seventh in the poll ahead of Purdue Fort Wayne (44 points) and RMU (42 points) in eighth and ninth, respectively. Rounding out the poll are Wright State and Detroit Mercy. Kate Achter takes over at the helm for the Titans in 2022-23.

 

The regular season begins on Monday, Nov. 7 with Horizon League play slated to begin on Thursday, Dec. 1. The 2023 Horizon League Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships are scheduled to culminate at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis on March 6-7.

 

2022-23 #HLWBB Preseason Poll
Pl.        Team – Pts. (First-place votes)
1.         Youngstown State (8) – 118

2.         Green Bay (2) – 106

3.         Cleveland State (1) – 102

4.         Northern Kentucky – 88

5.         Milwaukee – 75

6.         IUPUI – 67

7.         Oakland – 47

8.         Purdue Fort Wayne – 44

9.         RMU – 42

10.        Wright State – 26

11.        Detroit Mercy – 11

 

#HLWBB Preseason Player of the Year

Destiny Leo, Cleveland State

 

Preseason All-League First Team (alphabetical order by school)

Destiny Leo, Cleveland State

Hailey Oskey, Green Bay

Megan Walstad, Milwaukee

Lindsey Duvall, Northern Kentucky

Lilly Ritz, Youngstown State

 

Preseason All-League Second Team (alphabetical order by school)

Bailey Butler, Green Bay

Rachel Kent, IUPUI

Ivy Turner, Northern Kentucky

Breanne Beatty, Oakland

Shayla Sellers, Purdue Fort Wayne