Burnsville, Minn. – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference released the 2025-26 Preseason Women's Basketball Coaches' Poll today with the return of divisional selections alongside the overall. The Wolves were picked tenth overall with 107 points and fifth in the North Division with 27 points and one first place vote. In addition, senior
Izzy Moore was selected as the team's Player to Watch in 2025-26.
NSIC coaches rank each team in the NSIC in the overall poll and team from their division in the divisional poll. In the overall poll coaches rank from 1 to 15 with a first place vote receiving 15 points, second place 14, third place 13, etc. Coaches do not rank their own team or vote for their own players.
The regular season champion will be based on the 22-game NSIC schedule. Each team will play teams in their division twice (14 divisional games) and teams in the other division once (8 out-of-division games). An NSIC North and South Division Champion will also be awarded. Divisional standings will also be based on all 22 NSIC contests played. In the event of a tie, co-champions will be awarded.
The 2025-26 women's basketball season gets underway in early November with non-conference action, while NSIC play begins Tuesday, November 25. The 12-team NSIC Women's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Championship are set to take place February 28-March 3 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The tournament will be seeded using the NSIC 22-game schedule, with the top four seeds receiving a first-round bye. First round games will be played on campus on Wednesday, February 25.
LOOKING BACK AT 2024-25
The Wolves went 19-11 overall and 15-7 in the Northern Sun, earning a first round bye into the NSIC Tournament in 2024-25. NSU tallied nationally ranked victories over No. 6 Minnesota State, No. 16 Concordia-St. Paul, and No. 17 Southwest Minnesota State during the regular season. Northern went undefeated in NSIC play from Wachs Arena and spent the final weeks of the season ranked in the NCAA Central Region. Three Wolves were named to the NSIC All-Conference teams in
Rianna Fillipi,
Madelyn Bragg, and
Michaela Jewett, while Jewett earned CSC Academic All-District honors. Fillipi closed out her career with school records in single game assists, career assists, and career steals. In addition, she is the only Northern State women's basketball player to eclipse 1,300 points, 600 rebounds, and 500 assists.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2025-26
Northern heads into the 2025-26 season with four incoming freshman and two transfer student-athletes. In addition, four redshirt freshman return from the 2024-25 season that will play their first minutes as a Wolf. Northern also welcomed assistant coach
Edgar Chavira over the summer.
KRUEGER'S THOUGHTS
- On the Team: "What excites me about this year's team is the combination of youth and competitiveness. They bring great energy every day, they're eager to learn, and they approach everything with a hunger to get better. That mindset creates a strong foundation for growth this season."
- On Moore: "Izzy is coming off a solid junior year and her experience will be key for us. We're looking for her to step into more of a scoring role, while leading our less experienced players with the energy and patience."
2025 NSIC PRESEASON POLL
| Overall |
Points |
| 1 |
Minnesota State (8) |
215 |
| 2 |
Concordia-St. Paul (4) |
202 |
|
Sioux Falls (3) |
202 |
| 4 |
Southwest Minn. State |
172 |
| 5 |
St. Cloud State (1) |
155 |
| 6 |
University of Mary |
152 |
| 7 |
MSU Moorhead |
140 |
| 8 |
Minnesota Duluth |
139 |
| 9 |
Minot State |
110 |
| 10 |
Northern State |
107 |
| 11 |
Minnesota Crookston |
85 |
| 12 |
Winona State |
75 |
| 13 |
Wayne State |
64 |
| 14 |
Bemidji State |
42 |
| 15 |
Jamestown |
32 |
| 16 |
Augustana |
28 |
North Division |
Points |
| 1 |
MSU Moorhead (3) |
43 |
| 2 |
University of Mary (2) |
42 |
| 3 |
Minnesota Duluth(2) |
27 |
| 4 |
Minot State |
30 |
| 5 |
Northern State (1) |
27 |
| 6 |
Minnesota Crookston |
22 |
| 7 |
Bemidji State |
13 |
| 8 |
Jamestown |
10 |
South Division |
Points |
| 1 |
Minnesota State (6) |
48 |
| 2 |
Concordia-St. Paul (2) |
41 |
| 3 |
Sioux Falls |
37 |
| 4 |
St. Cloud State |
31 |
| 5 |
Southwest Minn. State |
28 |
| 6 |
Winona State |
17 |
| 7 |
Wayne State |
13 |
| 8 |
Augustana |
9 |
