BURNSVILLE — The Southwest Minnesota State University women’s golf team was picked eighth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll as voted on by the 13 head coaches in the league. The announcement came Thursday from the NSIC office.

Augustana was chosen as the preseason favorite earning 136 points, including six first place votes. Sioux Falls was a close second, receiving 130 points and five first place votes. Minnesota State, the defending league champions from 2019, was picked to finish third with 120 points with two first place votes. Concordia-St. Paul was selected fourth with 109 points, while Minot State rounded out the top five with 97 points.

Upper Iowa was selected sixth earning 81 points, followed by Bemidji State (72), SMSU (66), Winona State (58) and Wayne State (44) rounding out the top 10. UMary was picked 11th with 38 points, followed by MSU Moorhead (37) and Minnesota Crookston (26).

Sioux Falls senior Lexi Hanson was named the league’s Preseason Golfer of the Year, while SMSU senior Hannah Kohls was named a “Golfer to Watch” this season.

SMSU head coach Ross Webskowski, now in his 17th season, has nine players on the 2021 roster with six returning letter winners. Kohls, the lone senior on the roster, led the team in 2019-20 with a 79.4 average in 13 rounds. She has a career average of 82.3 in 50 rounds, ranking fourth in team history. Junior Anneke Weg played nine rounds last season and finished with an 84.4 average, sophomore Courtni Frank averaged 85.5 in 13 rounds, while sophomore Sally Gallagher played 13 rounds and finished with an 86.8 average.

SMSU played five tournaments in the fall of 2019 and had two tournaments in March of 2020, before the season was shut down due to COVID-19.

Southwest Minnesota State has five tournaments or dual matches scheduled for this spring capped with the NSIC Championship on April 23-25. SMSU opens the spring season on March 15-16 at the College of the Ozarks Invite in Hollister, Mo.

— Content courtesy

of SMSU Athletic

Communications