FARMINGTON, Utah — The hype for the 2023-24 season continues to grow for Eastern Washington women's basketball as they have two players on the Big Sky Preseason All-Conference team. Guard
Jamie Loera and forward
Jaydia Martin placed on the conference preseason team after both earned postseason awards for the 2022-23 season.
Eastern was the only Big Sky program to have multiple players on the team. Portland State's Esmeralda Morales was picked to be the conference's preseason MVP.
Loera is the reigning Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year and was a All-Conference third team selection. The Moses Lake, Wash. native averaged 2.63 steals per game, recording 79 total last season to lead the Big Sky and ranked 21st in the NCAA. Loera averaged 11.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game to rank 18th, 12th and third on the conference leaderboard respectively.
Loera's 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio led the Big Sky and ranked 50th in the nation.
Martin led the Eagles with a 16.1 points per game average, while shooting 42.2 percent from the floor and 37.9 from three-point range. The junior ranked fourth in the conference in scoring. Martin also led EWU with a 82.2 free throw percentage.
The Vancouver, Wash. native earned two Big Sky Player of the Week awards last season, sharing one.
The Big Sky released its preseason polls yesterday and the Eagles were picked to win the Big Sky in the coaches' poll and they were picked second in the media poll.
Eastern went 11-7 in conference and 19-11 overall last season. The team set a program record with a 10-win improvement from the 2021-22 season. Eastern finished fourth in the Big Sky last season and they went on to defeat Montana in the conference tournament for the program's first tournament win since 2019.
EWU hosts Montana Tech for an exhibition on Oct. 29 at Reese Court. The regular season begins against Southern Utah on Nov. 8 in Cedar City, Utah. Eastern has five non-conference games at home, including against Gonzaga on Nov. 29. The Eagles will begin Big Sky play on the road against Portland State on Dec. 28.
2023-24 Women's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team
Most Valuable Player – Esmeralda Morales, Portland State
Carmen Gfeller, Montana
Jamie Loera, Eastern Washington
Jaydia Martin, Eastern Washington
Daryn Hickok, Weber State
Hannah Simental, Northern Colorado
New for the 2023-24 season, the EWU Women's Sports Pass gives fans access to over 30 Eagle Athletics events, including volleyball, soccer and women's basketball for only $5 per game! Learn more and get yours today at goeags.com/tickets or call 509-359-6056.
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.
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