Women's Basketball 11/6/2023 12:00:00 PM

Northwestern Leads 2023-24 UMAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The UMAC Women’s Basketball season is right around the corner. In the conference preseason poll, voted on by all the head coaches in the conference, the reigning regular season and postseason tournament champion University of Northwestern Eagles have been predicted to finish atop the UMAC standings once again.

Northwestern earned 49 points with seven first-place votes to land atop the preseason poll. The Eagles finished the 2022-23 season 15-1 in the conference and took home both regular season and postseason titles. The reigning UMAC Player of the Year and D3hoops.com All-Region honoree Lexi Hagen returns for her junior season this winter, looking to build on a sophomore campaign in which she scored 13.9 points per game (3^rd in UMAC) and had 7.3 rebounds per game (3^rd in UMAC). Rylie Hirshey also returns for UNW after averaging 7.9 points per game (20^th in UMAC) with 28 assists and 22 steals to earn Second Team All-Conference honors. All-Conference Honorable Mention Jasmine Sondrol also returns after scoring 7.6 points per game (25^th in UMAC) with 4.6 rebounds per game (21^st in UMAC) while dishing out 35 assists.

North Central University was the runner-up in the preseason poll with 42 points and earned the one remaining first-place vote after finishing second in the UMAC last season with a 9-5 conference record. Joelle Talso returns for her senior season after earning First Team All-Conference honors last year with 11.5 points per game (6^th in UMAC), 5.8 rebounds per game (13^th in UMAC), and 4.8 assists per game (1^st in UMAC). Joining her will be Kaitlyn VanderPloeg who averaged 9.5 points (13^th in UMAC), 6.6 rebounds (8^th in UMAC), and 2.4 blocks (1^st in UMAC) per game last season. Mia Mabanag, who was named an All-Conference Honorable Mention, looks to build upon her freshman season in which she scored 10.5 points per game (11^th in UMAC) and had 1.5 steals per game (11^th in UMAC).

University of Minnesota Morris took third in the preseason poll with 36 points. The Cougars finished the 2022-23 campaign tied for third in the UMAC with an 8-6 conference record. Malory Anderson is set for her senior year after averaging 8.9 points (15^th in UMAC), 6.8 rebounds (6^th in UMAC), and 2.5 steals (3^rd in UMAC) per game last season, earning both Second Team All-Conference and All-Defensive Team recognition. 2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year Jay Kwateh, who likewise earned Second Team All-Conference and All-Defensive Team honors, looks to make another big impact this winter after scoring 8.6 points per game (17^th in UMAC) while grabbing 3.0 rebounds and 2.8 steals (1^st in UMAC) per game. Jadyn Sondrol also aims to make the most of her senior year after scoring 8.6 points per game (16^th in UMAC) with a 32.6 shooting percentage from three-point range last season.

University of Wisconsin-Superior got 32 points in the poll to place fourth. The Yellowjackets tied for third place in the UMAC last year with an 8-6 conference record. Elise Besonen returns for Wisconsin-Superior after earning All-Conference Honorable Mention honors with 7.6 points per game (UMAC), 3.2 rebounds per game, and 1.3 steals per game (19^th in UMAC). Fellow All-Conference Honorable Mention award winner Katie Dobson returns as well after scoring 8.5 points per game (19^th in UMAC) while averaging 4.3 rebounds (24^th in UMAC) and 1.4 steals per game. The Cougars also have Erika Mattson back for her senior season after averaging 4.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game last year.

Bethany Lutheran College placed fifth in the coaches’ poll, earning 23 points. The Vikings went 5-9 in the UMAC last year to finish sixth in the conference standings. Lexiss Trygg will look to lead BLC in her junior year after scoring 8.1 points on a 50.4 percent clip last winter. Kaylee Hunter returns after a freshman campaign in which she averaged 6.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists (20^th in UMAC) per game. Ashanti Boykin will look to provide senior leadership for the Vikings in her final year.

Crown College had 18 points in the poll to finish sixth. The Polars were fifth in the 2022-23 standings with a 7-7 record while going 14-12 overall to set the program record for wins in a season as members of the NCAA. The reigning UMAC Rookie of the Year Isabelle Sager returns for Crown after scoring 8.5 points per game (18^th in UMAC) on a 58.3 field goal percentage and adding 6.6 rebounds per game (7^th in UMAC) as well. May Laverty will help out as well this year after shooting 41.5 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from beyond the arc, and 71.4 percent at the line last season.

Martin Luther College was seventh in this year’s poll with 14 points. The Knights were eighth in the conference standings last season with a 2-12 record. Returning for MLC will be Emma Nelson who earned Second Team All-Conference honors last year after scoring 11.6 points per game (5^th in UMAC) while shooting 39.0 percent from three-point range and grabbing 6.3 rebounds per game (9^th in UMAC) Jordan Heckendorf joins her, looking for a strong senior season after earning All-Conference Honorable Mention with 9.5 points per game (14^th in UMAC), 5.0 rebounds per game (19^th in UMAC), and 1.3 steals per game (22^nd in UMAC). Laura Paulsen also returns after scoring 8.3 points per game and grabbing 6.0 rebounds per game.

Northland College rounds out the 2022-23 preseason poll with seven points. The Lumberjills were 4-10 in the UMAC last year to place seventh in the conference standings. Kodie Remp returns for her junior season after scoring 7.7 points per game (22^nd in UMAC) and winning 5.7 rebounds per game (15^th in UMAC).

The regular season opens on Wednesday, November 8 with conference play set to begin on Friday, December 8. The top four teams in the standings at the close of the regular season will compete in the UMAC Tournament, with the semifinals scheduled for Wednesday, February 21 with the championship match slated for Saturday, February 24. The winner of the tournament championship will earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.

2023-24 UMAC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Northwestern | 49 (7)
2. North Central | 42 (1)
3. Minnesota Morris | 36
4. Wisconsin-Superior | 32
5. Bethany Lutheran | 23
6. Crown | 18
7. Martin Luther | 17
8. Northland | 7

(#) Number of First-Place Votes

University of Northwestern
Aaron Kahl | 14^th Season |

2022-23 Season
13-1 UMAC, 19-9 Overall | 1^st Place Finish |
Postseason: Won the UMAC Regular Season and was the top seed in the UMAC Postseason Tournament. Defeated #4 Minnesota-Morris in the UMAC Semifinals #2 North Central in the UMAC Championship to win the UMAC Tournament and advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Lost to #10 University of Chicago in the First Round.

Top Returners
Lexi Hagen, Junior, Guard | 2022-23 UMAC Player of the Year, 2021-22 UMAC Honorable Mention All-Conference | 2022-23 D3Hoops.com Third Team All-Region, 2022-23 NCCAA First Team All-American | 13.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 87% FTs |
Rylie Hirschey, Junior, Guard | 2022-23 UMAC 2^nd Team All-Conference | 7.9 ppg, 28 assists, 22 steals |
Jasmine Sondrol, Junior, Forward | 2022-23 UMAC Honorable Mention All-Conference | 7.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 35 assists |

Need to Know
The Eagles have won three straight UMAC Championships (co-champions in ’22 and ’21). 26-2 in the last two UMAC regular seasons.

Schedule

Upper Midwest Athletic Conference

Conference Members

Conference Members

Northwestern Leads 2023-24 UMAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll