BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball team was picked to finish fourth overall and fifth in the NSIC South Division in the annual 16-team Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll released on Thursday.
 
Minnesota State was chosen as the overall preseason favorite earning 215 points and eight first place votes (teams cannot vote for their own team). Concordia-St. Paul and Sioux Falls tied for second place with 202 points, with CSP receiving four first-place votes and USF receiving three. SMSU follows in fourth with 172 points, and rounding out the top five is St. Cloud State with 155 points and one first-place vote.
 
Minnesota State senior guard Natalie Bremer was chosen as the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year in the South Division, and Minnesota Crookston senior guard Emma Miller was chosen in the North Division.
 
In the South Division poll, Minnesota State earned 48 points, including six first-place votes to finish atop the division. Concordia-St. Paul (two first-place votes) garnered 41 points for second place followed by Sioux Falls (37), St. Cloud State (31), SMSU (28), Winona State (17), Wayne State (13) and Augustana (9).
 
MSU Moorhead was chosen as the favorite to win the NSIC North Division followed by UMary, Minnesota Duluth, Minot State, Northern State, Minnesota Crookston, Bemidji State and Jamestown.
 
The NSIC is returning to divisions for the first time since the 2022-23 season. The NSIC tournament will feature 12 teams and will be seeded by division (S 1-6 & N 1-6) using overall conference record (22 games). The tournament will begin on Feb. 25 with first round games played on campus sites. The quarterfinals, semifinals and championship games will take place Feb. 28-March 3 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The top two seeds in each division will receive a first-round bye.
 
SMSU is coming off a 28-5 season and a second-place finish in the NSIC with a 19-3 league mark. SMSU advanced to the NCAA tournament for the third team in team history and first since 2002. The Mustangs won their first two NCAA tournament games before losing in the region championship game to Pittsburg State (Kan.).
 
The Mustangs return 10 letter winners and three starters from last season's team. Forward Audrey Swanson is one of four seniors on the team and was named a 'Player to Watch' in the NSIC this season. Swanson was named to the All-NSIC first team last season after starting all 33 games and averaging 16.2 points per game. Swanson set a single-season program record with 317 rebounds, averaging 9.6 rebounds per game. She recorded 17 double-doubles, ranking seventh in Division II, and scored in double figures 30 times with six 20-point games.
 
"Audrey is the kind of player every coach wants in their program," said Tom Webb, SMSU head coach. "She's built her career on effort, toughness, and consistency, no shortcuts. Leading the league in rebounding and recording 17 double-doubles last season is a result of her relentless ability to compete. We're excited for what this senior season holds for her."
 
Senior forward Maddie Thorfinnson appeared in all 33 games with 32 starts averaging 2.9 ppg and 2.9 rpg. Senior center Kennadi Buchholz appeared in 15 games last season averaging 2.4 ppg and 2.2 rpg, while senior guard Zoie Centers returns after appearing in 18 games a season ago.
 
Junior forward Natalie Nielsen started all 33 games last season, scoring 10.5 ppg game and averaging 7.3 rpg, the second most on the team. Nielsen, who led the squad with 48 blocked shots, set a team single-season record shooting 59 percent from the field and set a team single-season record with 110 offensive rebounds.
 
Junior guard Brynn Busse played in 32 games last season and averaged 2.1 ppg and 1.6 rpg, while sophomores Brylee Iverson and Allison Milbrandt both gained valuable experience, playing in 18 games and 17 games respectively.
 
Sophomore guard Nicole Maenke played in all 33 games last season and averaged 6.2 ppg and 1.7 rpg. She ranked second on the team with 45 3-pointers including setting a program single-game record for 3-point field goal percentage making all six shots at Winona State. Sophomore Elizabeth Wagner returns after sitting out last season due to injury, while her sister Christina Wagner is also back after missing nearly all last season with an injury.
 
The 2025-26 team includes three newcomers, including sophomore forward Kylan Gerads, a transfer from St. Cloud State, who averaged 8.0 ppg and 5.3 rpg in 29 games with the Huskies. The Mustangs also added two freshman guards, Logan Smidt from Brookings, S.D., and Allie Haabala from Alexandria, Minn.
 
"What excites us most about this group is their day-to-day approach. They compete at a very high level, and they're committed to doing things the right way." Webb said. "Our early-season tournaments and the strength of our conference will challenge us, no question. But this group is embracing that. They're showing up every day with an eagerness to improve and a mindset to earn every opportunity in front of them."
 
Webb enters his 10^th season as head coach and has a record of 124-119. After improving the program's win total in each of his first four seasons, he has led SMSU to a .500 record or better the last six seasons.
 
SMSU begins play in the 2025-26 season with a pair of games in Denton, Texas, against Alabama-Huntsville and Tampa (Fla.). The Mustangs then head to Edmond, Okla., and will compete in the NSIC-MIAA Challenge against Central Oklahoma and Washburn (Kan.). Following the NSIC opener at Sioux Falls on Nov. 25, SMSU will make its home debut on Nov. 30 in a non-conference meeting against Northern State.