SMU has been selected to defend its Western Athletic Conference title, according to the preseason WAC coachesÆ poll. The Mustangs received eight first-place votes and tallied 64 total points, while San Jose State, the reigning WAC Tournament titleholder, and Tulsa, last yearÆs regular-season and tournament runner-up, each tallied 51 points. All nine head womenÆs soccer coaches participated in the poll but were not permitted to vote for their own team. SMU finished last season with a 13-5-1 record, 6-0-1 in the WAC, to earn the regular-season conference title. Despite being ranked in the top 25 throughout the season, SMU was passed over for an NCAA postseason bid, marking only the fifth time since 1990 that the Mustangs did not compete in postseason play beyond the conference tournament. SMU returns 17 letterwinners, including six starters, but the redshirt forward, Tara Comfort, was chosen as the preseason Player of the Year. Comfort earned first team All-WAC honors for her performance as a sophomore in 1999. She started every game that season and finished second for SMU in shots (65), goals (9) and points (25). The Carrollton, Texas, native also led the team with seven assists. Comfort returns as preseason Player of Year after playing in only two games last season due to injury. WAC Freshman of the Year Kim Harvey and sister Sarah Harvey, a senior, will also lead the defense of the WAC title. The sister tandem produced similar numbers last year as Sarah, who played in 16 of 19 matches, led the team with 12 goals and four assists for 28 points. Second on the team with 25 points was Kim, who netted 11 goals and chipped in with three assists. San Jose State, which earned its first-ever bid to the NCAA postseason after winning the WAC Tournament title in 2000, finished with a 10-13-1 overall record. The Spartans return 10 letterwinners, including five starters from a team that outscored Tulsa, 3-1, in the WAC Championship match. Kristina Jacob, WAC Tournament MVP, is SJSUÆs top returning scorer, from a team that posted a 3-3-1 mark in conference action, good for third place. Also returning is junior goalkeeper Eryn Meyer, an all-Tournament selection, who had a 1.73 goals against average in 21 contests last season. Tulsa brings back 17 letterwinners, including eight starters from a team that posted the second most wins in school history en route to a 13-6-1 overall record. After being picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll a year ago, the Hurricane, 5-2 in league play, culminated the year with a runner-up finish in both regular season action and at the WAC Tournament. Again this season, Tulsa will be paced by Julie Twellman, a two-time second-team all-WAC performer, who enters her junior season ranked among TUÆs career leaders in several categories. She was named to the Soccer Buzz Central Region Third Team and led Tulsa in scoring for the second straight year. Also returning to lead the attack is senior forward Melissa McCormick, who not only led the team in assists with nine, but posted conference best marks with 0.45 assists per game and five game-winning goals. Fresno State finished in a close fourth place with 48 points. The Bulldogs return 10 letterwinners, including nine starters from an 11-9 team that advanced to the semifinals of the WAC Tournament before losing in double overtime to Tulsa. The Bulldogs are without the services of WAC Player of the Year Jill Pearson, who graduated, but will look towards top returning scorers Aimee Thompson, a first-team all-WAC selection, and Reyna Green, a second-team all-WAC honoree, to key the offense. UTEP, under the direction of new head coach Kevin Cross, is picked to finish in the middle of the pack. The Miners were 8-12-0 overall, going 3-4-0 in league action to finish fifth in 2000. Leading scorer Kelly Parker highlights the return of 17 letterwinners, including 10 starters. Hawaii is picked to finish ahead of conference newcomer Boise State and second-year program Nevada, while Rice, which will kicks off its inaugural season, rounds out the poll collecting 29, 18, 16 and 14 points, respectively. Hawaii returns seven starters, including second team all-WAC pick Arlene Devitt, from a team that was decimated by injuries a year ago. Boise State returns seven of their top eight scorers from its 4-11-2 team in 2000. Nevada, with seven letterwinners returning collected four victories in its first season in 2000, but was winless in WAC action. Rice, with 14 true freshman on the roster, will look to be competitive in its first season. 2001 WAC Preseason Poll
| Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Pts. |
| 1. SMU | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 64 |
| 2. SJSU | – | 3 | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | 51 |
| 2. Tulsa | – | 5 | 1 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 51 |
| 4. FS | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | – | – | – | – | 48 |
| 5. UTEP | – | – | – | 2 | 3 | 3 | – | – | 31 |
| 6. Hawaii | – | – | – | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | – | 29 |
| 7. BSU | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 | 4 | 2 | 18 |
| 8. Nevada | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 4 | 2 | 16 |
| 9. Rice | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 14 |
2001 All-WAC Preseason Team | Name | School | Pos. | Ht. | Yr. | Hometown/Previous School |
| Ryanne Banks | San Jose State | D | 5-11 | Sr. | El Sobrante, Calif./UC-Santa Barbara |
| Christina Collins SMU | D | 5-7 | Sr. | Boca Raton, Fla./Saint Andrews |
| Tara Comfort | SMU | F | 5-4 | Jr. | Carrollton, Texas/Newman Smith |
| Reyna Green | Fresno State | F | 5-4 | Sr. | Modesto, Calif./Modesto |
| Cynthia Harrah | San Jose State | D | 5-9 | So. | Fresno, Calif./Central East |
| Kim Harvey | SMU | MF | 5-9 | So. | Garland, Texas/Naaman Forest |
| Sarah Harvey | SMU | F | 5-7 | Sr. | Garland, Texas/Naaman Forest |
| Erin Meyer | San Jose State | GK | 5-6 | Jr. | Portland, Ore./Portland State |
| Kelly Parker | UTEP | MF | 5-3 | Jr. | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/Evan Hardy |
| Aimee Thompson | Fresno State | MF | 5-8 | Sr. | Simi Valley, Calif./La Reina |
| Julie Twellman | Tulsa | F | 5-8 | Jr. | Columbia, Mo./Rock Ridge |
