LEWISTON, Maine -- Bates women's basketball senior captain Meghan Graff was named a D3hoops.com preseason first team All-American on Thursday, based on her outstanding performance last year, when she led the Bobcats to the first NESCAC title in program history. 

Graff (South Portland, Maine) averaged 16.2 points per game during the team's historic campaign that ended in the second round of the NCAA tournament. She scored 20 or more points seven times, including a 30-point effort against Bowdoin and back-to-back 20-point outings in the NESCAC semifinal and championship games. Graff scored 18 points in an overtime thriller in the first round of the NCAA tournament, when the Bobcats defeated Roger Williams 68-64. She currently ranks 11th on the all-time scoring list at Bates with 1,150 career points.  

Following the season, Graff was named a D3hoops.com second team All-American, becoming the fourth Bates woman ever to receive All-America honors from D3hoops.com, after Val Beckwith '09 and Meg Coffin '08 received Fourth Team honors in 2009 and 2006 respectively. Olivia Zurek '05 received First Team honors in 2005. Graff joined Beckwith, Coffin, Zurek, Kate McLaughlin '01, Emily King '00, Sarah Bonkovsky '97 and Julie Roche Simplicio '91 on the program's list of All-Americans.

The D3hoops.com Women's Basketball Region 1 Player of the Year, Graff was also named the NESCAC Player of the Year and first team All-State.

Bates opens the 2022-23 campaign on Saturday, November 12 when the Bobcats welcome No. 11 nationally ranked Tufts to Alumni Gym for a non-conference tilt that gets underway at 4pm.