Ricky Nelson’s 2012 preseason top 10

The AVCA preseason poll is scheduled for release on Aug. 15. Like always, there are teams I’d like to add in the “Next 20.” Tell me where I went wrong.

1. Wittenberg
2. Washington-St. Louis
3. Cal Lutheran
4. Christopher Newport
5. Chicago
6. Hope
7. Emory
8. Calvin
9. Elmhurst
10. St. Thomas
The next 20 (in no particular order): Juniata, Heidelberg, UW-Stevens Point, Wartburg, Pacific Lutheran, UW-Whitewater, Colorado College, St. Scholastica, Otterbein, Occidental, Cortland St., Salisbury, Cornell, Carthage, Eastern, Dominican, UMass Boston, St. Norbert, UW-Eau Claire, Geneva.

-Ricky Nelson

Fearless 2012 conference predictions

I’m back for another season. No, I still do not have a sports information department career. But it’s not for a lack of trying. SID and HR departments around the nation have become familiar with my applications.

That unpleasantness out of the way, how about some predictions? Last year I correctly predicted 31 of the 42 Pool A conferences. Not horrible, not great.

In the next week or two I will list my preseason top 10. Last year I did a top 30 in the preseason. I may do that again. We’ll see, but I’ll have a top 10 for sure.

The 2012 pages have also been created in skeleton form. The Standings/Matchups page is ready to go for Week 1.

Here we go. Tell me where I went wrong.

Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference
2010 regular season champ: Pitt-Bradford
2010 tournament champ: Pitt-Bradford
2011 predicted champion: Penn State Altoona
2011 regular season champ: Penn State Altoona
2011 tournament champ: Penn State Altoona
2012 predicted champion: Medaille

American Southwest Conference
2010 regular season champ: Texas Lutheran, Hardin-Simmons (West); Texas-Dallas (East)
2010 tournament champ: Hardin-Simmons
2011 predicted champion: Hardin-Simmons (West), Texas-Dallas (East)
2011 regular season champ: McMurry (West), Texas-Dallas (East)
2011 tournament champ: Hardin-Simmons
2012 predicted champion: Hardin-Simmons (West), Texas Dallas (East)

Capital Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Frostburg
2010 tournament champ: Frostburg
2011 predicted champion: Mary Washington
2011 regular season champ: Salisbury
2011 tournament champ: Salisbury
2012 predicted champion: Salisbury

Centennial Conference
2010 regular season champ: Haverford
2010 tournament champ: Franklin & Marshall
2011 predicted champion: Johns Hopkins
2011 regular season champ: Johns Hopkins
2011 tournament champ: Johns Hopkins
2012 predicted champion: Franklin & Marshall

City University of New York Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Hunter
2010 tournament champ: Hunter
2011 predicted champion: Hunter
2011 regular season champ: Hunter
2011 tournament champ: Baruch
2012 predicted champion: Baruch

College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
2010 regular season champ: Millikin
2010 tournament champ: Carthage
2011 predicted champion: Carthage
2011 regular season champ: Carthage
2011 tournament champ: Carthage
2012 predicted champion: Elmhurst

Colonial States Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Cabrini
2010 tournament champ: Cabrini
2011 predicted champion: Neumann
2011 regular season champ: Cabrini
2011 tournament champ: Cabrini
2012 predicted champion: Cabrini

Commonwealth Coast Conference
2010 regular season champ: Roger Williams
2010 tournament champ: Roger Williams
2011 predicted champion: Roger Williams
2011 regular season champ: Roger Williams
2011 tournament champ: Roger Williams
2012 predicted champion: Roger Williams

Commonwealth Conference
2010 regular season champ: Elizabethtown
2010 tournament champ: Lebanon Valley
2011 predicted champion: Elizabethtown
2011 regular season champ: Messiah
2011 tournament champ: Lebanon Valley
2012 predicted champion: Messiah

Empire 8
2010 regular season champ: Ithaca
2010 tournament champ: Ithaca
2011 predicted champion: Ithaca
2011 regular season champ: Elmira
2011 tournament champ: Nazareth
2012 predicted champion: Elmira

Freedom Conference
2010 regular season champ: Eastern
2010 tournament champ: Eastern
2011 predicted champion: Eastern
2011 regular season champ: Eastern
2011 tournament champ: Eastern
2012 predicted champion: Eastern

Great Northeast Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Johnson & Wales
2010 tournament champ: Johnson & Wales
2011 predicted champion: Rivier
2011 regular season champ: Emerson
2011 tournament champ: Rivier
2012 predicted champion: Rivier

Great South Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Huntingdon
2010 tournament champ: Piedmont
2011 predicted champion: Huntingdon
2011 regular season champ: Maryville
2011 tournament champ: Maryville
2012 predicted champion: Agnes Scott

Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Transylvania
2010 tournament champ: Mount St. Joseph
2011 predicted champion: Transylvania
2011 regular season champ: Rose-Hulman, Bluffton, Hanover, Transylvania, Mount St. Joseph
2011 tournament champ: Rose-Hulman
2012 predicted champion: Hanover

Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Loras
2010 tournament champ: Wartburg
2011 predicted champion: Wartburg
2011 regular season champ: Coe
2011 tournament champ: Cornell
2012 predicted champion: Wartburg

Landmark Conference
2010 regular season champ: Juniata
2010 tournament champ: Juniata
2011 predicted champion: Juniata
2011 regular season champ: Juniata
2011 tournament champ: Juniata
2012 predicted champion: Juniata

Little East Conference
2010 regular season champ: UMass Boston
2010 tournament champ: UMass Boston
2011 predicted champion: UMass Boston
2011 regular season champ: Plymouth State, UMass Boston
2011 tournament champ: UMass Boston
2012 predicted champion: UMass Boston

Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Westfield State
2010 tournament champ: Westfield State
2011 predicted champion: Westfield State
2011 regular season champ: Westfield State
2011 tournament champ: Westfield State
2012 predicted champion: Framingham State

Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
2010 regular season champ: Hope
2010 tournament champ: Hope
2011 predicted champion: Calvin
2011 regular season champ: Calvin
2011 tournament champ: Calvin
2012 predicted champion: Hope

Midwest Conference
2010 regular season champ: Monmouth
2010 tournament champ: Beloit
2011 predicted champion: St. Norbert
2011 regular season champ: St. Norbert
2011 tournament champ: St. Norbert
2012 predicted champion: St. Norbert

Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: St. Olaf
2010 tournament champ: St. Olaf
2011 predicted champion: Concordia-Moorhead
2011 regular season champ: Concordia-Moorhead, St. Thomas
2011 tournament champ: Concordia-Moorhead
2012 predicted champion: St. Thomas

New England Collegiate Conference
2010 regular season champ: Daniel Webster
2010 tournament champ: Lesley
2011 predicted champion: Daniel Webster
2011 regular season champ: Southern Vermont
2011 tournament champ: Southern Vermont
2012 predicted champion: Southern Vermont

New England Small College Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Amherst
2010 tournament champ: Middlebury
2011 predicted champion: Amherst
2011 regular season champ: Bowdoin
2011 tournament champ: Bowdoin
2012 predicted champion: Tufts

New England Women’s and Men’s Athletics Conference
2010 regular season champ: Springfield
2010 tournament champ: Coast Guard
2011 predicted champion: Coast Guard
2011 regular season champ: Springfield, Coast Guard
2011 tournament champ: Springfield
2012 predicted champion: Coast Guard

New Jersey Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Richard Stockton
2010 tournament champ: Richard Stockton
2011 predicted champion: Richard Stockton
2011 regular season champ: Richard Stockton
2011 tournament champ: Richard Stockton
2012 predicted champion: Richard Stockton

North Atlantic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Maine Maritime
2010 tournament champ: Maine Maritime
2011 predicted champion: Maine Maritime
2011 regular season champ: Colby-Sawyer
2011 tournament champ: Colby-Sawyer
2012 predicted champion: Maine Maritime

North Coast Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Wittenberg
2010 tournament champ: Wittenberg
2011 predicted champion: Wittenberg
2011 regular season champ: Wittenberg
2011 tournament champ: Wittenberg
2012 predicted champion: Wittenberg

North Eastern Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Keuka (North), Gallaudet (South)
2010 tournament champ: Gallaudet
2011 predicted champion: SUNYIT (North), Gallaudet (South)
2011 regular season champ: Penn State Berks
2011 tournament champ: Gallaudet
2012 predicted champion: Gallaudet

Northern Athletics Conference
2010 regular season champ: Concordia (Wis.)
2010 tournament champ: Dominican
2011 predicted champion: Edgewood
2011 regular season champ: Dominican
2011 tournament champ: Edgewood
2012 predicted champion: Dominican

Northwest Conference (no tourney)
2010 regular season champ: Whitworth
2011 predicted champion: Whitworth
2011 regular season champ: Whitworth
2012 predicted champion: Pacific Lutheran

Ohio Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Heidelberg
2010 tournament champ: Heidelberg
2011 predicted champion: Heidelberg
2011 regular season champ: Heidelberg
2011 tournament champ: Mount Union
2012 predicted champion: Heidelberg

Old Dominion Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Washington & Lee
2010 tournament champ: Randolph-Macon
2011 predicted champion: Washington & Lee
2011 regular season champ: Washington & Lee
2011 tournament champ: Randolph-Macon
2012 predicted champion: Randolph-Macon

Presidents’ Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Thomas More
2010 tournament champ: Thomas More
2011 predicted champion: Thomas More
2011 regular season champ: Geneva
2011 tournament champ: Geneva
2012 predicted champion: Geneva

Skyline Conference
2010 regular season champ: Mount Saint Mary
2010 tournament champ: NYU-Poly
2011 predicted champion: Mount Saint Mary
2011 regular season champ: Mount Saint Mary
2011 tournament champ: NYU-Poly
2012 predicted champion: Mount Saint Mary

Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Cal Lutheran
2010 tournament champ: Cal Lutheran
2011 predicted champion: Occidental
2011 regular season champ: Cal Lutheran
2011 tournament champ: Occidental
2012 predicted champion: Cal Lutheran

Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Colorado
2010 tournament champ: Colorado
2011 predicted champion: Southwestern
2011 regular season champ: Southwestern
2011 tournament champ: Colorado
2012 predicted champion: Colorado

St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Greenville
2010 tournament champ: Greenville
2011 predicted champion: Greenville
2011 regular season champ: Webster, Greenville
2011 tournament champ: Webster
2012 predicted champion: Greenville

State University of New York Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Cortland (East), Fredonia (West)
2010 tournament champ: Cortland
2011 predicted champion: Cortland (East), Fredonia (West)
2011 regular season champ: Cortland (East), Fredonia (West)
2011 tournament champ: Cortland
2012 predicted champion: Cortland (East), Fredonia (West)

University Athletic Association
2010 regular season champ: Emory
2010 tournament champ: Emory
2011 predicted champion: Emory
2011 regular season champ: Emory
2011 tournament champ: Washington-St. Louis
2012 predicted champion: Washington-St. Louis

Upper Midwest Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: St. Scholastica
2010 tournament champ: Northwestern
2011 predicted champion: St. Scholastica
2011 regular season champ: St. Scholastica, Northwestern
2011 tournament champ: St. Scholastica
2012 predicted champion: St. Scholastica

USA South Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Christopher Newport
2010 tournament champ: Christopher Newport
2011 predicted champion: Christopher Newport
2011 regular season champ: Christopher Newport
2011 tournament champ: Christopher Newport
2012 predicted champion: Christopher Newport

Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: UW-Eau Claire
2010 tournament champ: UW-Platteville
2011 predicted champion: UW-Platteville
2011 regular season champ: UW-Stevens Point, UW-Whitewater, UW-Eau Claire
2011 tournament champ: UW-Whitewater
2012 predicted champion: UW-Stevens Point

-Ricky Nelson

Bethel’s Wriedt named 2012 NCAA Woman of the Year nominee

Bethel University opposite Nicole Wriedt was recently named one of 429 student-athletes vying for the 2012 NCAA Woman of the Year award.

From the release: The award honors graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout the collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.

Wriedt was a three-time All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection and an AVCA Honorable Mention All-Central Region player in 2011. She ended her career with 1,123 kills and helped lead the Royals to the 2011 NCAA tournament.

More importantly, Wriedt maintained a 3.93 grade point average. In addition to her Woman of the Year nomination, Wriedt was granted an NCAA postgraduate scholarship, which was awarded to just 29 female student-athletes across all NCAA divisions after the 2011 fall sports season.

The 2012 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced on Oct. 14.

-Ricky Nelson