IWU’s Kyle Mangas was chosen as the Crossroads League’s Preseason Player of the Year. (File photo courtesy Tim Mangas)

AVON, Ohio – No one has bounced a ball yet, but the Crossroads League announced its 2018-19 men’s and women’s basketball preseason polls and preseason All-League award winners on Wednesday, as voted on by the league’s 10 head coaches.

Indiana Wesleyan sophomore Kyle Mangas was selected by the league head coaches as the Crossroads League Preseason Player of the Year. Mangas earned NAIA First-Team All-American and NAIA National Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player honors as a freshman. The former Warsaw standout led Indiana Wesleyan to an NAIA National Championship as a freshman.

Mangas is joined on the Preseason First-Team All-Crossroads League Team by former Warsaw teammate and M&M Boy Paul Marandet of Spring Arbor, as well as IWU teammate Evan Maxwell, and the Marian duo of Wes Stowers and Regginald Kissoonal, who is the reigning Crossroads League Defensive Player of the Year.

Wesleyan was the clear choice by the coaches to repeat as league champs this year, gaining 99 of the 100 points and nine of the 10 first-place votes, Marian getting the lone other vote and 90 points.

Grace College, chosen to finish ninth, has Logan Godfrey as its only preseason representative as part of the Second Team.

On the women’s side, Marian received eight of the 10 first-place votes to garner 97 points as the choice to run the Crossroads League this season. Marian won the regular season title a year ago.

A handful of area players were among the choices for preseason picks, led by Grace College’s Brooke Sugg, who was chosen Preseason Second Team All-CL. Tippecanoe Valley graduate Anne Secrest hasn’t played a second of Crossroads League basketball, but her pedigree at Youngstown State as well as her high school reputation has her as a Third Team choice after transferring to Indiana Wesleyan this past year. Former Northridge Raider Kelly Brickner of Bethel University and former Columbia City Eagle Aubrey Wright of Taylor University were also named Preseason Third Team All-Crossroads League.

Taylor’s Kendall Bradbury was the unanimous selection of the league’s Preseason Player of the Year. Bradbury netted her third NAIA All-American nod in 2017-18 and was joined on the Preseason First-Team All-Crossroads League Team by fellow 2017-2018 NAIA All-Americans Kara Gerka (St. Francis) and Dejah Cyrus (Marian), in addition to All-Crossroads League standouts Nicole Ignasiak (Indiana Wesleyan) and Sarah Fryman (Huntington).

2018-19 CROSSROADS LEAGUE MEN’S PRESEASON POLL

1-Indiana Wesleyan, 99 (9)
2-Marian, 90 (1)
3-Mount Vernon Nazarene, 70
4-Saint Francis, 65
5-Bethel, 64
6-Taylor, 52
7-Huntington, 40
8-Spring Arbor, 33
9-Grace, 26
10-Goshen, 11

2018-19 CROSSROADS LEAGUE MEN’S PRESEASON ALL-LEAGUE

First Team
Kyle Mangas, IWU (Preseason Player of the Year)
Wes Stowers, MU
Paul Marandet, SAU
Evan Maxwell, IWU
Regginald Kissoonlal, MU

Second Team
Chandler White, USF
Paul Forman, BC
Jevon Knox, MVNU
Brett Vipperman, MVNU
Logan Godfrey, GC

Third Team
Konner Platt, HU
Ryan Robinson, TU
Tyler Arens, HU
Mason Degenkolb, TU
Sterling Brown, MU

2018-2019 CROSSROADS LEAGUE WOMEN’S PRESEASON POLL

1-Marian, 97 (8)
2-Saint Francis, 81 (2)
3-Indiana Wesleyan, 80
4-Taylor, 79
5-Huntington, 63
6-Grace, 47
7-Mount Vernon Nazarene, 42
8-Spring Arbor, 26
9-Bethel, 23
10-Goshen, 12

2018-2019 CROSSROADS LEAGUE WOMEN’S PRESEASON ALL-LEAGUE

First Team
Kendall Bradbury, TU (Preseason Player of the Year)
Kara Gerka, USF
Dejah Cyrus, MU
Nicole Ignasiak, IWU
Sarah Fryman, HU

Second Team
Lauren McBryar, USF
Brooke Saylor, HU
Brooke Sugg, GC
Savannah Buck, USF
Taylor Gregory, MVNU

Third Team
Macy Willoughby, MU
Anne Secrest, IWU
Dani Ellerbrock, MVNU
Kelsey Brickner, BC
Aubrey Wright, TU