Defending champion DePauw women coaches' unanimous preseason No. 1

The DePauw women's basketball team celebrated a national championship last season and they're favorites to repeat this year, according to the coaches poll released on Tuesday. (Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)

The Women's Basketball Coaches Association DIII preseason poll was announced on Tuesday and the defending national champions, the DePauw University Tigers, are the unanimous No. 1 team.

The Tigers earned all eight first-place votes to get a perfect 200 points in the poll.

DPU finished last season 34-0 and beat Wisconsin-Whitewater 69-51 in the national championship game last year to win the second national championship in school history.

Whitewater is ranked No. 2 in the poll.

Amherst College, which lost in the consolation game at last year's Final Four, is ranked No. 3.

Hope College and Montclair State University are tied for fourth. Christopher Newport, which lost to DePauw in the Elite Eight last year, is ranked sixth. Tufts University is sixth. Washington University, Williams and Ohio Northern round out the top ten.

DePauw has an exhibition game at Butler on Sunday and opens its regular season Nov. 15 against Otterbein at the Franklin Tip-Off Classic.

The Tigers host a four-team tournament that includes Washington on Nov. 30-Dec. 1.