Sports: Basketball

Women Earn 1st Top Ranking; Men Top Poll

The Yellowjacket women’s basketball team earned its first Number One ranking in school history after an undefeated—and record-setting—start to the 2003–04 season.

The women were ranked best in the country in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division III Coaches Poll and held the Number One ranking in the D3Hoops.com poll in mid-January after reeling off 10 straight victories, including wins over other nationally ranked teams, as their season got under way.

The Yellowjackets pushed their undefeated record to a record 15– 0 before losing in double overtime to Case Western Reserve University in late January.

In a show of Palestra power, the men’s team also rattled off an undefeated streak to begin the season, earning a Number One ranking in the D3Hoops.com poll in late January.

The Yellowjackets were 16–0 with just a month left in the regular season and were leading the University Athletic Association standings.

In January, both the women and the men swept the JPMorgan Chase Scholarship Tournament, capping their runs with title game victories in the Palestra. For the women, who defeated Roberts Wesleyan 74–69 in the championship game, it was their second straight tournament title. The men topped St. John Fisher College 64–55 to win the title.

Going into the season, the Yellowjacket women were ranked third in the country, and the men were ranked 10th.

For more on the Yellowjackets, visit www.rochester.edu/athletics.