BURNSVILLE, Minn. –The Southwest Minnesota State University women's outdoor track & field team was selected to finish 14^th in the annual Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Outdoor Track & Field Preseason Coaches' poll released on Friday.
 
SMSU, under the direction of third-year head coach Kirk Nauman, earned 31 points in the poll, as the program enters its ninth season of women's outdoor track and field at the Division II level. Minnesota State was the top pick in this season's preseason poll earning 196 points with 14 first place votes with Augustana and UMary coming in second place with 176 points.
 
SMSU finished 12^th at last season's NSIC Outdoor Championships.
 
SMSU third-year sophomore hurdler Isatu Shirek, from Thompson, N.D., and freshman Shealyn Tom, from Brea, Calif., were both named an NSIC 'Athlete to Watch'.
 
Shirek placed fourth in the 60 hurdles at the 2022 NSIC Indoor Championships at 8.71.
 
"Isatu had an outstanding indoor season break the school record in the 60-meter hurdles and the 300 meters," Nauman said. "She concluded the indoor season being ranked 25th in the 60 hurdles and finishing fourth in the NSIC. Heading to outdoors, she hopes to rewrite her own records in the 100 meters hurdles and 400-meter hurdles while moving up the national list."
 
Tom set a school indoor record in the pole vault this season with a mark of 3.28m. She finished eighth overall at the 2022 NSIC Indoor Championships.
 
"Shealyn came in this fall looking to establish a presence in the pole vault for SMSU," Nauman said. "She established and rewrote the SMSU record book multiple times in her freshman indoor campaign where she finished tied for eighth at the NSIC Championships. She is excited to do more of the same as we head to the outdoor season."
 
The SMSU women's outdoor track & field team is scheduled to open its season on March 26 at the Buena Vista University Early Bird Invite.
 
The 2022 NSIC Outdoor Championships will be held in Aberdeen, S.D., on May 12-14.