Eagles Women's Basketball Ranked 4th in Preseason Poll

The Red River Athletic Conference released their 2024-25 Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll earlier this week. The Texas A&M University-Texarkana Women's Basketball team has been ranked fourth in the conference for the upcoming 2024-25 season.

The Eagles, who finished 13-16 overall and 10-12 in conference during the previous season are ready to compete at a high level to be a contender for the RRAC Championship this year under first-year head coach and RRAC veteran Cory Hitchcock. Hitchcock returns to the RRAC after a three-year stint at Palisade High School where he was the head coach of the boys' basketball program. Before his time in Colorado, Hitchcock was the head men's coach at conference rival University of the Southwest where he received RRAC Coach of the Year.

Top returners for the Eagles include NAIA All-American and RRAC Player of the Year Kayla Williams, who averaged 17.2 ppg and 10.6 rpg last season, Delfina Misiuna who averaged 8.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, and shot 51.1% from the field. The Eagles also added many new faces to the roster this season to help the Eagles make a run for the tournament. 

We had a chance to check in with Coach Hitchcock after the release of the rankings and hear his thoughts and plans for the season. Hitchcock shared:  

"We appreciate the love the coaches showed our program by voting us #4 in the Red River preseason poll, but rankings don't define us. The work we put in every day does. Our focus is on preparing for the season ahead, building on our strengths, and staying relentless in our pursuit of success. The poll is just the beginning, we must show up and prove ourselves on the court if we want to achieve our goals of being a top-four team in the conference."
"Our goal this season is to push beyond expectations, compete with grit, and grow together as a team. We're looking forward to the challenge ahead." 

The Eagles will play in their home opener on Tuesday, October 29th against the Panthers of Philander Smith University. Tip-off is set for 5:00 pm.