GREENVILLE, N.C. — East Carolina junior forward Meghan McCallion (Long Island, NY) has been named preseason All-Conference USA in a vote taken by the conference's 14 head coaches, announced by the league on Tuesday.

McCallion earned first team all-conference accolades as a sophomore and in 2002 was named to the all-freshman team. She started in all 19 games for the Pirates, collecting 10 goals and one assist on a school record 83 shots. McCallion also earned third-team NSCAA All-South Region honors and was named to the Charlotte Classic All-Tournament Team.

The Pirates, who finished the 2003 regular season in tenth, have been tabbed by the coaches to finish ninth in the conference in 2004.

ECU returns seven starters and 11 letterwinners from last year's squad that finished with a 7-7-5 overall mark and a 4-1-3 record in Conference USA.

The Pirates open their season on the road against Virginia (Aug. 27) in Charlottesville and then will take on in-state rival UNC Wilmington (Aug. 29), before heading back to Greenville for the season home opener against Georgia Southern.

2004 C-USA PRESEASON AWARDS

C-USA PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Julianne Sitch, Jr., MF/F, DePaul

ALL-CONFERENCE
Breck Bankester, Sr., GK, USF
Jamie Craft, So., F, Louisville
Nikki Hawkins, Sr., MF, Houston
Tara Kidwell, Sr., F, UAB
Yuiko Konno, Sr., F, Memphis
Meghan McCallion, Jr., F, ECU
Briana McCarty, Sr., D, UAB
Nicky McLeod, Jr., MF, Memphis
Jessi Moore, Sr., F, TCU
Jamie Perry, Sr., F, Saint Louis
Julianne Sitch, Jr., MF/F, DePaul

2004 C-USA PRESEASON POLL
(as selected by C-USA coaches)
1. UAB
2. Saint Louis
3. DePaul
4. Marquette
5. Charlotte
6. TCU
7. Cincinnati
8. Memphis
9. East Carolina
10. USF
11. Tulane
12. Houston
13. Louisville
14. Southern Miss