LAS VEGAS – Following an impressive freshman campaign which included landing a spot on the All-West Coast Conference Freshman team, sophomore Sam Simons has earned a place on the 2019-20 preseason squad.
 
The Adelaide, Australia native burst onto the scene in 2018-19, appearing in all 33 games with 14 starts. She averaged 11.1 points and 3.5 rebounds while ranking fifth in the WCC in three-point field goal percentage (.405), and seventh in overall shooting (.497). Her best performance came on February 14 against Santa Clara when she tallied a career-high, 28 points, including six triples and four steals.

"Sam has really grown over the last season," said head coach Paul Thomas. "She is someone who we can always count on and this year her role will be even more prominent." 
 
Simons' success goes beyond her role at Saint Mary's as she has been an active member for the Australian national team. In July, she earned a silver medal with the Australian Gems in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Bangkok, Thailand. In the past, she claimed bronze with the U18 group and won the World Cup with the U17 team. For her efforts, she was named an Honorable Mention in the NCAA Women: Midseason All-Australian Awards last year.
 
As a team, Saint Mary's is picked to finish fourth in the WCC behind Gonzaga, BYU, and Pacific respectively. The Gaels finished tied for third with Pepperdine last season with a record of 21-12, 12-6 WCC. SMC fell just shy of a spot in the WCC Championship Final, falling to No. 12 Gonzaga in double overtime in the semis. The Gaels went on to compete in the WNIT, reaching the postseason for the 10th-consecutive season before falling to Pepperdine in the second round.
 
2019-20 WEST COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL

Team (First Place Votes)   Points
1. Gonzaga (7)                        78
2. BYU (3)                                75
3. Pacific                                 61
4. Saint Mary's                      59
5. Santa Clara                       40
T6. LMU                                   39
T6. Pepperdine                      39
8. San Diego                           27
9. San Francisco                    18
10. Portland                            14