ROCK HILL, S.C. - With the 2015-16 basketball season on the horizon, Anderson University women's basketball was picked to defend its 2015 SAC Regular-Season Championship on Tuesday, earning the most points in the annual SAC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll, while the tandem of Jasmine Franklin and Alexis Dillard were named to the Preseason All-SAC Teams.

Franklin headlined the duo with a spot on the Preseason All-SAC First Team, while Dillard was listed on the Preseason All-SAC Second Team, as both players earned their first preseason all-conference recognition in their respective careers.

Franklin shined through AU's historic postseason run last year, averaging 14.8 points per game and six rebounds, scoring in double figures in four of the team's six postseason contests. Franklin headlined the SAC Tournament with a game-high 29 points in Anderson's 63-52 victory over Catawba, sending the Trojans to the SAC Tournament title game for the second time in three seasons. The Simpsonville, S.C. native was named to the SAC All-Tournament Team following the championship game, while also being named to the Southeast Region All-Tournament Team following Anderson's trip to the Sweet 16.

Dillard also helped contribute in last season's postseason, as she recorded her first double-double on the year with 16 points and 13 rebounds in the Trojans' 71-53 upset-win over No. 3 ranked Columbus State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Dillard closed the 2014-15 season ranking eighth in the conference in total rebounds (200) and in blocks (26). The Taylors, S.C. native is currently fourth in program history in blocks with 75 through her first two seasons with the Black and Gold.

Last season, Anderson became the first women's basketball team in conference history to post 20 wins within the SAC, finishing the year with a 20-2 league record. Overall, Anderson was 27-5 and advanced the furthest in the postseason than any other SAC school. The Trojans strung together an impressive 18-game winning streak throughout the year and held an impressive 13-1 record inside the Abney Athletic Center.

For the first time in program history, the Trojans were picked to win the league championship after a sixth-place finish in the 2014 preseason poll was the highest AU had ever been projected.

Following Anderson's first-place finish in the annual poll, Wingate, which finished with three first-place votes, is projected to finish second, while Catawba and Newberry earned the third and fourth place positions as both squads earned a first-place vote. Carson-Newman rounded out the top five, as it claimed the final three first-place votes. All five teams earned trips to the NCAA Tournament a season ago, marking the most representatives by any conference in the country.

The Trojans begin their 2015-16 campaign on Sunday, Nov. 8 when they welcome Division I Clemson to the Abney Center for a preseason exhibition at 2 p.m. Following a second exhibition at Western Carolina on Nov. 15, Anderson begins its regular season on Nov. 21 when it hits the road to archrival Erskine.

2015-16 SAC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Anderson (4) 117
2. Wingate (3) 112
3. Catawba (1) 112
4. Newberry (1) 107
5. Carson-Newman (3) 106
6. Lenoir-Rhyne 82
7. Lincoln Memorial 78
8. Mars Hill 60
9. Coker 43
10. Brevard 41
11. Tusculum 37
12. Queens 29

2015-16 SAC Women's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Teams

First Team
Samantha Creed, Newberry
Bri Johnson, Catawba
Katie Williams, Brevard
Jasmine Franklin, Anderson
Tatum Burstrom, Carson-Newman
Madison Lenox, Brevard

Second Team
Morgan Cooper, Lenoir-Rhyne
Jessica Simerly, Carson-Newman
Morgan McGee, Wingate
Alexis Dillard, Anderson
Jai Jai McLaughlin, Carson-Newman
Megan Pittman, Lincoln Memorial