Peyton McDaniel earns preseason recognition at James Madison

By Jason Guarente — MikeDragoSports senior correspondent

Peyton McDaniel’s latest accolade arrived before she stepped onto the court for the first game of her sophomore season.

James Madison’s guard was named All-Colonial Athletic Association second team in a preseason vote of the conference’s coaches.

McDaniel averaged 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and shot nearly 35 percent from 3-point range as a freshman. The Twin Valley grad debuted in the starting lineup and was named CAA Rookie of the Year. She was Rookie of the Week three times.

James Madison was picked to finish third in the conference behind defending champion Drexel and Delaware. Those schools each received five first-place votes and are the co-favorites. JMU finished 14-10 and lost to Drexel in the CAA semifinals last season.

McDaniel, who has switched from No. 22 back to her trademark 00, is one of six Berks players to reach 2,000 career points. The 6-foot guard was the two-time Berks Player of the Year and received All-State recognition three times. She led Twin Valley to the PIAA Tournament every season.

Kiki Jefferson, a Lancaster Catholic grad, was named All-CAA first team after averaging a team-high 16.2 points for the Dukes as a sophomore.

James Madison opens the season at Virginia Nov. 9.