UNION, N.J. (11/12/09) - The Kean University women's basketball team has garnered numerous preseason accolades, as the Cougars return four starters from last year's squad that advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament and New Jersey Athletic Conference championship game for the third straight season. The Cougars were selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2009-10 NJAC Women's Basketball Championship in a preseason poll of the league's ten head coaches, as Kean received six of the 10 first place votes.

Kean was also selected 11th in the D3hoops.com and USA Today ESPN Division III Coaches' Top 25 polls, while senior guard Melissa Beyruti (Union City, N.J.) was named a D3hoops.com preseason first-team all-american.

The Cougars return four starters from the 2008-09 squad that finished with a 22-8 overall record and placed second in the NJAC South Division with an 11-2 conference mark.

A three-time all-NJAC selection, Beyruti (pictured right) was granted a medical hardship waiver for last season after missing most of the year with an injury. In 2007-08, Beyruti led the NJAC in both scoring (19.0) and three-point field goals made (108/3.4), as she ranked 28th in the nation in scoring and for the second straight year led the nation in three point field goals made.

Beyruti is the school's all-time leader in both scoring (1,606) and three-pointers made (305).

The Cougars also return a pair of 2008-09 NJAC all-conference selections in seniors Cardiss Jackman (Tobyhanna, Pa.) and Danielle Brown (North Brunswick, N.J.).

Jackman (pictured left) earned NJAC first-team and Women's Basketball Coaches Association honorable mention all-american honors a year ago after leading the team and ranking second in the NJAC in scoring (16.9 ppg). She also led the Coguars with 54 three-pointers made and ranked second on the team in assists (76) and was fourth in rebounding (4.8) and steals (51).

A year ago, Jackman scored in double figures in all but four games and became the 17th player in program history to score 1,000 career points. She enters her senior year ranked 15th in school history with 1,100 points.
Brown had a breakout junior campaign, as she averaged 9.2 points and 7.8 rebounds and ranked third in the conference in field goal percentage (.536). In her first season as a starter, she was the only player on the team to start all 30 games last season.

Also returning to the starting frontcourt is junior Tiffany Patrick (Piscataway, N.J.), who led the team in rebounding (9.0) and averaged double-figures (10.4) after missing the first four games of the season with an injury.

The Cougars also return another senior with starting experience in senior Alysha Taylor (Galloway, N.J.), who averaged 6.8 points and was second in three-pointers (44) after starting 28 games last season.

Under 12th year head coach Michele Sharp, the Cougars won back-to-back NJAC titles and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2006-07 and 2007-08 and seeks the program's 13th NJAC title.

The Cougars tip-off the 2009-10 schedule at Division I Rutgers University on Tuesday, November 17, at 7:30 p.m. The Scarlet Knights are ranked 25th in the Associated Press Preseason Poll.