RICHMOND, Va. – Perennial power James Madison, which has won at least 25 games in 10 of the past 11 seasons, has been picked to capture the CAA women’s basketball championship in 2020-21 according to a vote of the league’s head coaches.

The Dukes received six first-place votes and 76 total points to finish in front of second-place Drexel, which picked up two first-place votes and 65 points, and third-place Towson, which had one first-place vote and 60 points. Elon, which also garnered one first-place vote, and Northeastern were tied for fourth in the poll, followed by Delaware, Charleston, William & Mary, UNCW and Hofstra.

Towson senior guard Kionna Jeter, a two-time, first-team all-conference honoree, was selected as the 2020-21 CAA Preseason Player of the Year. She was joined on the preseason All-CAA first team by Delaware junior guard/forward Jasmine Dickey, Northeastern junior forward Alexis Hill, James Madison sophomore guard Kiki Jefferson and Drexel junior guard Keishana Washington. Chosen to the preseason All-CAA second team were Northeastern senior guard Stella Clark, Elon senior guard Ariel Colon, Charleston junior forward Arynn Eady, Hofstra junior forward Jaylen Hines and Charleston junior guard Latrice Perkins.

JMU went 25-4 overall last season and earned a share of the CAA regular-season title with a 16-2 mark. The Dukes face the task of replacing four starters, but return Jefferson, who was named CAA Rookie of the Year after averaging 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Also back are junior guards Madison Green (4.9 ppg) and Jaylin Carodine (2.6 ppg), as well as sophomore forward Rayne Tucker (3.3 ppg/4.3 rpg). JMU is expected to get a significant boost from the addition of transfers Brianna Tinsley (Virginia), Morgan Smith (Georgetown) and Anne Diouf (Georgia Tech).

Drexel also claimed a share of the CAA regular-season crown with a 16-2 record a year ago and reached the 20-win plateau (23-7) for the fifth time in the past six seasons. The Dragons welcome back four of their top five scorers, led by Washington, who was chosen as the CAA Sixth Player of the Year after contributing 10.0 ppg. She’s joined by seniors Hannah Nihill (5.9 ppg) and Mariah Leonard (6.6 ppg) and junior Kate Connolly (5.3 ppg). Amy Mallon begins her first season as Drexel’s head coach after serving as an assistant to Denise Dillon for the past 16 seasons.

Towson, which went 14-15 overall and 9-9 in the CAA last season, will build around Jeter, who averaged 18.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and a conference-best 3.3 steals per game last season. The Tigers also return guard Shavonne Smith (3.9 ppg) and senior center LaKaitlin Wright (3.9 ppg/4.3 rpg). Towson should be helped by the addition of transfers Kiara Johnson (Eastern Michigan), Aleah Nelson (Cincinnati) and Skye Williams (Eastern Florida State).

Elon returns nearly its entire roster, including all five starters, from last year’s 14-16 squad (8-10 CAA). Topping the group of returnees is Colon, who averaged 11.4 ppg and 5.3 rpg and earned a spot on the All-CAA third team. Also back for the Phoenix are junior guard Brie Perpignan (10.2 ppg), senior forward Jaylin Powell (8.8 ppg) and senior guard Saadia Munford (8.1 ppg).

Northeastern has seven of its top eight scorers back from a team that went 13-16 overall and 9-9 in the CAA a year ago. The Huskies will be led by Hill (13.1 ppg/6.4 rpg), a second-team All-CAA honoree, and Clark (11.0 ppg/4.8 rpg). Also back for NU are junior guard Kendall Currence (8.6 ppg) and graduate forward Ayanna Dublin (5.9 ppg/4.7 rpg).

Delaware has to replace four starters from last year’s 12-17 (8-10 CAA) squad, but welcomes back one of the league’s top players in Dickey, who made the All-CAA second team in 2019-20. She led the conference with 13 double-doubles and averaged 12.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Also back are guards Tee Johnson (4.3 ppg) and Paris McBride (4.0 ppg).

Charleston went 13-17 (6-12 CAA) in its first season under head coach Robin Harmony, which was the most wins for the program since 2013-14. All five starters return, highlighted by preseason All-CAA picks Eady (8.0 ppg/9.7 rpg) and Perkins (13.5 ppg), as well as junior guard Tyler Collins (12.2 ppg).

William & Mary set school season records for overall (21) and CAA (12) victories during the 2019-20 campaign. While the Tribe must replace its top two scorers, there is plenty of experience on hand with seniors Nyla Pollard (6.1 ppg), Gabby Rogers (6.1 ppg) and Bailey Eichner (3.6 ppg), along with junior guard Sydney Wagner (8.1 ppg).

UNCW will have a very different look this season with only two players who saw significant playing time returning from a 10-20 team. The Seahawks will rely on the experience of senior forward Carol-Anne Obusek (5.5 ppg/4.6 rpg) and senior forward Paige Powell (4.3 ppg/4.4 rpg) to provide leadership to a large group of newcomers.

Hofstra is looking to make a move up the conference standings in the second year under head coach Danielle Santos Atkinson. Back to lead the Pride are Hines, who topped the team in scoring (11.6 ppg) and rebounding (8.8 rpg), and sophomore guard Sorelle Ineza (8.0 ppg), who made the CAA All-Rookie squad.