BOSTON – The University of Vermont women’s basketball team played last season thinking it had to win virtually every game.

As the season progressed, the Catamounts approached each game believing that even a couple of losses might keep them from being selected for the NCAA tournament.

This season, Vermont and the other North Atlantic Conference teams can rest a bit easier. The pressure won’t be on until the league tournament in March.

Every team makes the playoffs and, for the first time, an automatic berth in the NCAA tourney awaits the winner.

The NAC’s new automatic qualifier dominated the discussion among the women’s coaches Monday during the NAC Media Day held at Boston University.

Vermont, under new head coach Pam Borton, was selected as the preseason favorite by the coaches. The Catamounts, who own an NCAA-record winning streak of 52 regular-season games, were the unanimous choice to win their third straight NAC title.

Boston University was picked to finish second, followed by Northeastern. Delaware was picked fourth while Coach Joanne Palombo’s Maine team came in at No. 5.

The conference also announced its preseason All-NAC team, which includes Vermont’s Sheri Turnbull, last season’s NAC Player of the Year, and Northeastern’s Katasha Artis, the NAC and ECAC Rookie of the Year. Coaches also tabbed Jill Sosnak of BU, Vermont’s Carrie LaPine, and Colleen McNamara of Delaware.

Borton said the incentive of the automatic bid will be beneficial to her team and the league.

“We don’t have to go out and win every single game to get a bid,” said Borton, who replaces Cathy Inglese, now at Boston College. “Now we’re playing games in our non-conference schedule to get us ready for the conference and to get us ready for the NCAA tournament.”

Under the new format, Vermont has scheduled tough non-league opponents to help it improve prior to its NAC games, without the worry of how losses will affect their status for postseason eligibility.

Palombo, whose Black Bears peaked before losing in the NAC title game last season, said the NCAA bid will help make the league more competitive.

“It’s going to make it much more exciting,” Palombo said. “The intensity’s going to go up about five notches, because you really have an opportunity to know you control your own destiny as opposed to doing well and never getting rewarded for it.”

Boston University Coach Chris Basile said the automatic qualifier also will alter the way the Terriers approach their season. They have toned down their non-league schedule and will concentrate on slow improvement, since it is the league tournament will decide their postseason fate.

“Your scheduling is not as important as it once was,” Basile said. “You don’t have to worry so much about your record. Now we can focus on preparing our teams like everybody else does that has a bid. We just learn and improve and play as well as we can throughout the conference, try to get a high seed and get in a position to give your team an opportunity to win and go to the NCAAs.”

NORTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS

Name School Pos. Yr.

Sheri Turnbull Vermont F Sr.

Katasha Artis Northeastern F Jr.

Carrie LaPine Vermont G Jr.

Colleen McNamara Delaware F/C Jr.

Jill Sosnak Boston Univ. F Sr.

NORTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL

Team (first-place votes) Points

1. Vermont (8) 64

2. Boston University 45

3. Northeastern 44

4. Delaware 42

5. Maine 40

6. New Hampshire 22

7. Hartford 19

8. Drexel 9