PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland Pilots women's basketball team officially opened the Michael Meek era with their first practices of the season last weekend on The Bluff. Meek is in his first year as head coach of the Pilots following a successful nine-year stint at George Fox University.
 
With George Fox, Meek led the Bruins to eight NCAA Tournament appearances, which included NCAA Division III championship game appearances in 2012 and 2015. The Bruins also won six Northwest Conference (NWC) championships under Meek's guidance, and his teams were ranked at the end of the year seven times.

With a career collegiate coaching record of 230-35 (.868), Meek ranks fourth in career winning percentage among active coaches with five-plus years of experience at all divisions of women's college basketball.
 
Joining Meek on his staff are first-year assistant coaches Tom Batsell and Sharon Rissmiller, while assistant coach Skyler Young returns for his second season on the Portland staff. Batsell was with Meek all nine years with the Bruins, and Rissmiller ('01) is a UP alum who comes to The Bluff from Oregon State, where she was the director of operations since 2015. Rissmiller starred on the court for the Pilots from 1997 to 2001, and she still ranks ninth all-time with a .770 career free throw percentage. She compiled 1,069 career points.
 
Returning to her role as the Pilots' director of operations is Tiffany Gibson, who enters her fifth year on the Portland staff.
 
The Pilots return 10 letterwinners and three starters this season, while adding five newcomers. Sophomore guard Haylee Andrews is Portland's top returning scorer after averaging 11.8 points per game in her first year on The Bluff. Andrews also landed on the West Coast Conference All-Freshman Team, and she led the Pilots in assists (4.0 apg).
 
Also back are sharp-shooter Maddie Muhlheim and guard Kate Andersen, the lone senior on the roster. Muhlheim, a junior who nearly averaged double digits in points (9.9 ppg) as a sophomore, set a program record last year when she buried nine three-pointers against San Diego. Andersen enters the season with 90 career appearances, and she had per-game marks of 5.8 points and 3.7 rebounds as a junior.
 
Headlining the newcomers is Alex Fowler, a forward who led her team in both scoring and rebounding as Australia finished second overall at the 2019 FIBA U-19 Women's World Cup last summer in Bangkok, Thailand. Fowler averaged 9.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, and she landed on the World Cup's All-Star Team.
 
The Pilots play one exhibition game, against Lewis & Clark on Nov. 2 at the Chiles Center, before opening the regular season at Utah State on Nov. 7.