North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Women Picked 7th; Whittington tabbed All-ACC
10/24/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
GREENSBORO, N.C. NC State was picked to finish seventh in the 2007-08 Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Basketball season, as determined by a vote of the media at the ACC Women’s Basketball Media Day in addition to the votes of the league’s sports information directors and head coaches.
Wolfpack senior forward Khadijah Whittington was tabbed for the preseason All-ACC Team. The Roanoke, Va., native led the league with 10.5 rebounds per game last year when she set a single-season school record with 366 total boards. She also led the Pack in scoring (10.5), steals (63) and blocks (49).
Additionally, Whittington has a change to become just the second player in ACC history to compile 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 200 steals and 100 blocks in a career. She would join former Clemson great Barbara Kennedy in doing so as she begins her final season with 922 points, 766 rebounds, 157 steals and 95 blocks.
Maryland, the recipient of 27 of the 37 first-place votes, was selected first as they return four starters and eight letterwinners from last year’s 28-6 squad. Two-time All-American Crystal Langhorne, who led the ACC with a .707 field goal percentage last year and placed in the ACC’s top 10 in both scoring (14.1) and rebounding (8.1) average, was named the 2007-08 Preseason Player of the Year. Joining the 6-2 senior on the preseason squad is teammate Marissa Coleman, North Carolina’s Erlana Larkins, Duke’s Abby Waner, and Whittington.
North Carolina was selected second after receiving eight first-place votes, followed by Duke in third. Rounding out the top-six is Florida State, Georgia Tech and Virginia.
The Wolfpack return two starters, Whittington and junior guard Shayla Fields, and eight letterwinners of last season’s club that posted a 25-10 record and reached the NCAA Sweet 16 for the 11th time in program history.
Newcomer guard and McDonald’s All-America selection Jasmine Thomas headlines the Duke 2007 recruiting class. The freshman from Fairfax, Va., was named Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year.
2007-08 Predicted Order of Finish
1. Maryland (27)
2. North Carolina (10)
3. Duke
4. Florida State
5. Georgia Tech
6. Virginia
7. NC State
8. Clemson
9. Virginia Tech
10. Miami
11. Boston College
12. Wake Forest
2007-08 Preseason All-ACC Team
Marissa Coleman, Maryland
Crystal Langhorne, Maryland
Erlana Larkins, North Carolina
Abby Waner, Duke
Khadijah Whittington, NC State
Preseason Player of the Year: Crystal Langhorne, Maryland
Preseason Rookie of the Year: Jasmine Thomas, Duke
