NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - As the 2012-13 women's basketball season approaches, the honors continue to roll in for the Charlotte 49ers program, as it was picked third in the league's preseason poll and senior Jennifer Hailey was tabbed to the All-Atlantic 10 First Team and All-Defensive Team. Both the poll and preseason teams were selected by the conference's head coaches and announced Wednesday morning in conjunction with the annual Media Teleconference.

Charlotte, entering its second campaign under head coach Cara Consuegra, was predicted to finish in the top-quarter of the conference after a 16-14 overall and 8-6 league ledger a year ago. The 49ers return nine letterwinners and all five starters from a WNIT squad, reaching the postseason for the 10^th-straight campaign.

The 8-6 A-10 mark placed the Niners sixth in the final regular-season standings in 2012 after they earned one-half of those victories in a 4-0 start to the league slate.

Hailey is one of three seniors on this year's squad and is coming off a season in which she paced the conference in rebounding (9.3 pg) and blocks (73). She also was the 49ers' leading scorer at 13.7 points per game, joined in double figures by 2012 Atlantic 10 Sixth Woman of the Year and graduate, Epiphany Woodson's 12.3 average.

Hailey has also already been tabbed an All-High Major Second Team All-American by College Sports Madness, while the same organization placed All-Atlantic 10 Preseason First Team honors on her as well.

"I am excited for Jennifer and feel it's definitely a deserving honor," Consuegra said. "She's very capable of being on that team at the end of the year. We just have to keep working and getting better as a team. She certainly has had a good summer and has worked really hard to improve herself offensively. Defensively, she is going to bring it every game. Her rebounding is one thing that we always can expect from her. Offensively, she has worked to get a lot better. If she continues to work and get better, then she has a chance to be there at the end of the year as well."

Full Court noted Charlotte was one of the Top 10 non-BCS programs to watch this season, putting it as the highest Atlantic 10 school on the list.

Dayton was recognized as the preseason favorite with 239 points and seven first-place votes. The Flyers separated themselves from the pack, which saw a tight grouping from second through sixth. Richmond (207 points) was one point ahead of the 49ers, who held off votes for Duquesne (204), Temple (201) and Saint Joseph's (195) to round out the top six in the expanded 16-team league race.

Hailey was one of three seniors to make the preseason first team, joining La Salle's redshirt senior Brittany Wilson and Temple's Victoria Macaulay. The other two members of the five-member squad are Dayton's Andrea Hoover and Duquesne's Wumi Agunbiade.

The all-defensive team featured all seniors, as Hailey was grouped together with Wilson, Macaulay, Duquesne's Jocelyn Floyd and St. Bonaventure's Alaina Walker.

Charlotte begins its season with a 7 p.m. Saturday, November 3 exhibition contest against Johnson C. Smith. The regular-season starts a week later, at 6 p.m. Saturday, November 10, against North Carolina Central. Both contests are inside Halton Arena.

Season tickts are on-sale now starting at $30 and are available by calling 704-687-4949 or visiting the "Tickets" menu option at Charlotte49ers.com.

2012-13 Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll
1. Dayton (239 points, 7 first-place votes)
2. Richmond (207, 1)
3. Charlotte (206, 1)
4. Duquesne (204, 3)
5. Temple (201, 1)
6. Saint Joseph's (195)
7. St. Bonaventure (172, 3)
8. George Washington (139)
9. La Salle (114)
10. Xavier (111)
11. Fordham (96)
12. Butler (80)
13. VCU (71)
14. Saint Louis (64)
15. Massachusetts (56)
16. Rhode Island (21)

2012-13 Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Teams
First Team
Jennifer Hailey, Sr., F, Charlotte
Andrea Hoover, So., G, Dayton
Wumi Agunbiade, Jr., F, Duquesne
Brittany Wilson, R-Sr., G, La Salle
Victoria Macaulay, Sr., C, Temple

Second Team
Ally Malott, So., F, Dayton
Orsi Szecsi, Jr., G/F, Duquesne
Jasmine Watson, Sr., C, Massachusetts
Genevieve Okoro, Jr., F, Richmond
Jessica Pachko, R-Sr., F, Xavier

Third Team
Tara Booker, Gr., F/G, George Washington
Danni Jackson, Sr., G, George Washington
Rachael Bilney, R-Sr., G, Richmond
Becca Wann, Jr., G, Richmond
Ashley Prim, Sr., G, Saint Joseph's

Defensive
Jennifer Hailey, Sr., F, Charlotte
Jocelyn Floyd, Sr., G, Duquesne
Brittany Wilson, R-Sr., G, La Salle
Alaina Walker, Sr., G, St. Bonaventure
Victoria Macaulay, Sr., C, Temple