CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Mid-American Conference announced its annual women's basketball preseason poll on Wednesday with Toledo being selected to finish second in the West Division, according to a vote of the league's 12 head coaches. 

Additionally, junior Mikaela Boyd was tabbed to the Preseason All-MAC West Division Team. 

Joining Boyd on the West Division squad were Central Michigan's Presley Hudson and Tinara Moore, Ball State's Moriah Monaco and Western Michigan's Breanna Mobley.

UT, the defending MAC Champions, trailed only two-time reigning MAC West Division winner Central Michigan in the division voting. Ball State was pegged third in the MAC West, followed by Western Michigan, Northern Illinois and Eastern Michigan to round out the division.
 
Buffalo was picked to win the East Division, followed by reigning division winner Kent State, Ohio, Miami, Bowling Green and Akron.

The East Division squad is made up of Bowling Green's Carly Santoro, Buffalo's Stephanie Reid, Kent State's Jordan Korinek, Miami's Lauren Dickerson and Ohio's Taylor Agler.

Three different squads also received votes to capture the MAC Tournament in Cleveland, led by the Chippewas with 10. The Cardinals and Bulls also collected one vote each. A year ago, UT earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships after winning the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2001 and eighth time in school history.

Boyd, a 5-foot-7 guard, averaged a team-high 12.2 points, a squad-best 7.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and a team-high 2.1 steals in a squad-best 30.8 minutes per game in 2016-17. The only Rocket to start all 34 contests during the year, Boyd finished fourth in the MAC in defensive caroms (5.8 rpg), sixth in thefts, overall rebounding and assist/turnover ratio (1.6, 137-85), seventh in helpers and 20th in scoring.

The 2016-17 third-team all-conference recipient was nothing short of sensational during the MAC Tournament, contributing 12.3 points, a team-high 11.0 boards, a squad-tying best 4.8 helpers and a team-high 2.5 thefts in a squad-best 33.5 minutes, en route to being named the tourney MVP.     

A fierce competitor who possesses tremendous speed and quickness, Boyd scored in double figures in two of four postseason contests, including a career-high 27 points, a contest-best 14 caroms, three helpers, one blocked shot and two thefts in a career-tying high 38 minutes vs. Northern Illinois in the championship game (March 11). 

Overall in 2016-17, Boyd produced double figures in points in a squad-best 23 games, including four contests with at least 20 points. 

She led the Rockets in rebounding on a squad-best 20 occasions, assists 13 times, steals on a squad-tying high 13 occasions, scoring a team-best 11 times and blocked shots on three occasions.

Boyd and the Rockets open their season on Saturday, Nov. 4 against Lock Haven in an exhibition contest. The opening tip is slated for Noon in Savage Arena. UT's regular season begins six days later vs. Saint Francis (PA) in the first round of the Preseason WNIT on Friday, Nov. 10 at 7:00 p.m. 
 
2017-18 MAC PRESEASON PREDICTIONS 
WEST DIVISION 
1. Central Michigan – 70 (10 first place votes) - 70
2. TOLEDO (1) - 60
3. Ball State (1) - 46
4. Western Michigan - 32
5. Northern Illinois - 29
6. Eastern Michigan - 15
 
EAST DIVISION
1. Buffalo (10 first place votes) – 69 points
2. Kent State (1) - 52 points
3. Ohio (1) – 47 points
4. Miami – 40 points
5. Bowling Green – 23 points
6. Akron – 21 points

MAC TOURNAMENT WINNER
Central Michigan (9), Ball State (1), Buffalo (1), Western Michigan (1)

MAC REGULAR SEASON CHAMPION
Central Michigan (10), Ball State (1), Buffalo (1)
 
PRESEASON ALL-MAC WEST TEAM
Moriah Monaco, Ball State
Presley Hudson, Central Michigan
Tinara Moore, Central Michigan
MIKAELA BOYD, TOLEDO
Breanna Mobley, Western Michigan
 
PRESEASON ALL-MAC EAST TEAM
Carly Santoro, Bowling Green
Stephanie Reid, Buffalo
Jordan Korinek, Kent State
Lauren Dickerson, Miami
Taylor Agler, Ohio