RED HAWKS PICKED SECOND IN
NORTH DIVISION IN NJAC POLL

Montclair , NJ – (11/15/07) – The Montclair State women's basketball team was picked to finish second in the North Division as the New Jersey Athletic Conference released its Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll on Thursday. The Red Hawks, under interim head coach Karin Harvey, are coming off an 18-10 season in 2006-07 capturing the ECAC Metro Championship.

Montclair State opens its season on Friday, November 16 in Atlanta, GA at the Emory University Tip-Off Tournament at 6:00 pm. MSU will face Sewanee: University of South in the opening round. The consolation and championship games of the tournament are slated for 6:00 and 8:00 pm, respectively on Saturday, November 17.

The Red Hawks were picked to finish second behind William Paterson in the five-team division. Kean University, the defending NJAC Tournament champion and 2007 NCAA Elite Eight participant, was chosen to win the league by the 10 head coaches.

Montclair returns nine letterwinners and three starters from last year's team that placed second in the NJAC North and fell in the conference tournament opening round to The College of New Jersey. MSU rebounded with three straight victories, including an 85-70 win over Farmingdale State to capture the program's fourth ECAC Metro Championship.

Despite the losses of All-American Stephanie Machin and All-NJAC selection Ferin Catlett (now an assistant coach), the Red Hawks return six players that averaged 15 or more minutes per contest led by senior Jessica Garrabrant (Denville, NJ / Morris Knolls), an All-NJAC pick a year ago. Garrabrant averaged 6.9 points per game and pulled down a team-best 247 rebounds (8.8 per game) while shooting 86 percent at the free throw line.

Sophomore Jackie Berry (Tuckerton, NJ / Pinelands Regional) put up 5.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per game while handing out a team-best 63 assists and making 32 steals. Senior Jessica Horan (West Haverstraw, NY/North Rockland) connected on 22 three-pointers a year ago and junior Amy Bonk (Edison, NJ / JP Stevens) averaged five points per game in her role off the bench as well as being a spot-starter. Junior Marianne McGovern (Fair Lawn, NJ / Paramus Catholic) was second on the team in assists with 62 while senior Cynthia Warrington (Villas, NJ / Lower Cape May Regional) had 27 steals. Junior Shyquira Williams (North Plainfield, NJ / North Plainfield) and sophomores Catherine Cristino (Farmingdale, NJ / Colts Neck) and Lindsay Karwowski (Bloomfield, NJ / Bloomfield) round out the returning players as the trio appeared in a combined 50 games last season.