Sept. 22, 2005

WACO, Texas - The Baylor Lady Bear basketball team, defending NCAA champions, has been listed among the nation's top seven teams by three national publications in their annual preseason polls.

Lindy's preseason publication ranks Baylor the highest at No. 5 while Slam Magazine lists the Lady Bears at No. 6 and Athlon Magazine puts the team at No. 7.

In Lindy's, Duke, Tennessee, Rutgers and Georgia, BU's first opponent of the season, rank above the Lady Bears. Tennessee, Duke, Ohio State, LSU and North Carolina check in ahead of Baylor in Slam's poll and LSU, Duke, Ohio State, Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina all sit above Baylor on Athlon's list.

The Lady Bears, 33-3 last season, will be led in 2005-06 by national player of the year candidate Sophia Young, a senior forward. Junior forward Abiola Wabara and senior guard Chameka Scott return to their starting roles as well.

Baylor, 2004-05 Big 12 Conference champions, is the league's highest ranked team. Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma are in the top 25 as well.

Sixth year head coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson has put together an aggressive schedule for 2005-06, one that boasts games versus six teams ranked among the nation's top 25: Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech and UCLA.

Lady Bears in Preseason Rankings: