THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 19, 1994 TAG: 9411190592
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 34 lines
The unthinkable has happened.
Forget the 40-game conference winning streak and the three straight conference titles - for the first time in a long time, Old Dominion isn't favored to win the Colonial Athletic Association championship.
James Madison has taken over as preseason favorite, a distinction that Dukes coach Shelia Moorman is more than a little wary of.
``You can't deny the intangible of winning, and Old Dominion has proven they know how to do that,'' she said.
Although the rest of the league's coaches refuse to place any bets against ODU, Lady Monarchs coach Wendy Larry is noncommittal about her team's chances to win its fourth straight CAA title.
``The intangibles are an edge, but we truly only have two seniors,'' she said. ``We have only three individuals on our entire roster who have played in the system for any length of time.''
The CAA lost its top four scorers to graduation, including three-time CAA Player of the Year Celeste Hill of ODU and All-CAA first-teamers Ashleigh Akens of William and Mary and Nickie Hilton of George Mason.
The losses bring a parity to the league. James Madison and ODU are still the class of the CAA, but Richmond, William and Mary and George Mason are closing the gap. by CNB