Sept. 14, 2004

WACO, Texas - Baylor's women's basketball team, fresh off the program's first NCAA Sweet 16 appearance, has been ranked No. 3 in Slam Magazine's preseason poll, which will hit the newsstands on Thurs., Sept. 16. The No. 3 listing is Baylor's highest-ever preseason ranking.

The Lady Bears finished the 2003-04 campaign with a 26-9 record and return four starters off that squad. The tandem of senior Steffanie Blackmon and junior Sophia Young lead the cast of returning players for fifth-year head coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson. Sophomore Abiola Wabara, senior point guard Chelsea Whitaker, starters last season, and three-point specialist Emily Niemann, a sophomore, also return for the Lady Bears. In all, 73.4 percent of last season's points and 75.8 percent of the rebounds return as well. Blackmon and Young, all-Big 12 performers last season, are both pre-season candidates for the State Farm Wade Trophy National Player of the Year. In addition. Blackmon has been named a preseason Wooden Award All-American. Young led the team in both scoring and rebounding with 16.7 points and 8.6 rebounds a game while Blackmon averaged 15.6 points and 6.9 board an outing.

Baylor's first opponent of the season, LSU, is ranked No. 1 and Baylor's final opponent of last season, Tennessee, is list at No. 2. Rounding out the publication's top ten, in order, are Georgia, Texas, UConn, Duke, Stanford, Rutgers and Notre Dame.

Baylor will open the 2004-05 season on Sun., Nov. 14 against LSU in Austin, Texas, on ESPN2 as part of the State Farm Tip-Off Classic.