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The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Softball Ranked No. 25 In Preseason Coaches' Poll
1/25/2001 12:00 AM | Softball
Jan. 25, 2001
Salt Lake City - The University of Utah softball team received 67 votes and a No. 25 ranking in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 preseason poll. The Mountain West Conference regular-season and tournament champion, Utah ended its season with a 42-23 (.646) overall record and a 15-5 (.750) conference mark. Utah made its first trip to the NCAA tournament since 1997 and its ninth NCAA overall. The Utes own a 16-21 NCAA record, including a 15-13 mark in NCAA regional play, and have advanced to the Women's College World Series four times (1982, `85, `91 and `94) with a 1-6 slate.
"I think it is good that we made the Top 25," said head coach Mona Stevens. "I'm glad we are No. 25 because I think it will give our kids motivation to work harder. There are a lot of teams in the Top 25 that we beat last year, but that was last year, and this year, we need to prove ourselves once again. I'm glad that we had the recognition to get in the Top 25 and we'll have our work cut out for us. We want to move up in the poll and, although we are excited to be recognized, it will motivate us towards moving higher."
Utah was the only Mountain West Conference team to enter the 2001 season in the top 25. New Mexico was the only other MWC team recognized in the preseason poll with 10 votes.
The Utes will play in six tournaments before setting foot on Ute Field, matching up with national powerhouses Washington, Arizona State, Oregon State, Oregon, Stanford and Mississippi State. They will face eight teams ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 preseason poll and four teams that received votes in the poll, with the possibility of facing other ranked teams in bracket play. Utah will participate in the Arizona State Fiesta Bowl Tournament, the UNLV Tournament, the Santa Barbara Tournament, the Southern Florida Speedline Tournament, the Florida State Tournament and will host the Red Desert Classic in St. George, Utah, in early March. The Utes will face another national powerhouse team, the Arizona Wildcats, in Tucson, Ariz., just before opening MWC play. Utah begins Mountain West Conference play at New Mexico on March 30. The MWC Tournament will be held in Albuquerque, N.M., at Lobo field on May 10-12.
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