In a vote of Pacific West Conference women's basketball coaches yesterday, Grand Canyon was selected to defend its league title and has the Preseason Player of the Year in Samantha Murphy.

The Antelopes went 16-12 overall last year and 9-3 in the PacWest. Dixie State was picked to finish second, Hawaii Pacific was third, Brigham Young-Hawaii fourth and Notre Dame de Namur fifth in the nine-team conference.

Murphy, a junior guard, is joined by GCU senior guard Rosalyn Nelson on the Preseason All-PacWest team. Dixie State placed three players on the team in senior guard Jessie Ingraham, senior forward Tanya Clark and sophomore guard Shanae Vaifanua. Notre Dame de Namur senior forward Jennifer Dreessen and Hawaii-Hilo senior guard Hina Kimitete round out the team.

The Brigham Young-Hawaii men were selected by PacWest coaches as a preseason favorite to repeat with senior forward Lucas Alves selected as Preseason Player of the Year at last week's media day.

The National Association of Basketball Coaches made the Seasiders its top-ranked team in a preseason Division II national poll, released Wednesday.

Alves, a 6-foot-9, 230-pounder from Brazil, is a two-time Conference Player of the Year, but is expected to be out until December with a knee injury. The rest of the preseason All-PacWest team is made up of BYUH senior guard J.R. Buensuceso, Chaminade junior guard Cartier Carter, HPU senior guard Jeff Ingram, Notre Dame de Namur sophomore guard Bennie Murray, UH-Hilo senior guard Bryan Ngo and Dixie State senior forward Andy Palmer.

BYUH visits UH-Mänoa Thursday in an exhibition at 7 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center.