WAYNE, N.J. – William Paterson was picked third in the 2011-12 D3 News Women's Basketball Preseason Poll, the organization announced Oct. 24.  Senior BriAnna Lucas (Hamilton, N.J./Nottingham) was named to the group's 24-member Preseason All-America Team, while classmate April Smith (Barnegat, N.J./Southern Regional) was an honorable-mention preseason all-America honoree.

The Pioneers registered a school-record 26 victories (26-4) during the 2010-11 season, finished atop the 2011 NJAC North Division standings and won the program's second NJAC Tournament crown (1993, 2011).  Playing without a single senior, William Paterson advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen for the fourth time in school history (1995, 1997, 1998, 2011) after earning victories against Keuka (81-47, March 4) and Colby (58-53, March 5) in the first two rounds at the Pioneers' Recreation Center.

Named to the 10-member Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division III State Farm All-America Team as well as the D3hoops.com All-America Third Team last season, Lucas was the 2011 ECAC Metro Region Player of the Year, the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Co-Player and Defensive Player of the Year and a member of the D3hoops.com All-Atlantic Region, Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association and ECAC All-Metro First Teams.  The 5-4 guard led the conference in scoring (18.5 ppg, 33rd in Division III) and three-pointers made (2.4 pg), and tied for first in assist/turnover ratio (1.7), was second in assists (4.0 apg) and free-throw percentage (.824), third in three-point field-goal percentage (.391, 38th nationally), tied for third in steals (2.7 spg) and 10th in field-goal percentage (.433) in the conference statistics.  A member of the 2010 D3hoops.com All-Atlantic Region Second Team, Lucas is a three-time all-NJAC selection (2009 second team; 2010 and 2011 first teams) as well as the 2009 NJAC and ECAC Metro Region Rookie of the Year.  She scored her 1,000th career point on Jan. 8, is ninth in Pioneer history with 1,311 points, and was named to the 2011-12 D3hoops.com Preseason All-America First Team.

A member of the 2011 WBCA All-America Honorable Mention Team, Smith led the NJAC in rebounding (10.9 rpg, 32nd in Division III), double-doubles (19, eighth in Division III) and offensive rebounds (4.7 rpg), and ranked second in scoring (17.6 ppg) and defensive rebounds (6.2 rpg), tied for seventh in blocked shots (1.3 bpg), and eighth in field-goal percentage (.457) and free-throw percentage (.701). A member of the 2009 and 2011 All-NJAC First Teams and the 2011 D3hoops.com All-Atlantic Region, Met Writers and ECAC All-Metro Second Teams, the forward was a second-team all-region honoree by D3hoops.com in 2009. Smith scored her 1,000th career point on March 4, currently ranks 19th in school history with 1,031 points, and was named to the 2011-12 D3hoops.com Preseason All-America Honorable Mention Team.

2011-12 D3 News Preseason Women's Basketball Poll
1. Amherst
2. Chicago
3. William Paterson
4. Washington (Mo.)
5. George Fox
6. Greensboro
7. Babson
8. Calvin
9. Kean
10. Wisconsin-Stevens Point