College Women: Florida is the SEC favorite for seventh straight year

Florida has been selected as the favorite to claim the 2001 title in the Southeastern Conference by the league’s 12 head coaches. This marks the seventh consecutive year that the Gators have been tabbed by the coaches to win the title. Coming off their fifth straight SEC title in 2000, the Gators earned nine first-place votes, topping Tennessee who received three votes. The Gators were selected as tops in the East with 64 total points. Florida returns five All-SEC players in Keisha Bell, Jordan Kellgren, Danielle Murphy, Andi Sellers and Abby Wambach. Wambach led the conference in points and goals as a junior. In the West, Ole Miss was the clear favorite with 63 points. Key returnees for the two-time West Division Champions include defender Kristin Chapman and goalkeeper Melinda Smith. Chapman was a Second Team All-SEC selection in 2000 and Smith is the lone senior on this year’s squad. Points were compiled on a 6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for each division, though each coach was not allowed to vote for his of her own team. Each coach also voted for one team as an overall conference champion. 2001 SEC Preseason Poll