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BURNSVILLE - The Southwest Minnesota State University women's basketball team was picked to finish sixth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, and fifth in the NSIC South Division.
Minnesota State was selected first overall with six first-place votes and 215 points (coaches cannot vote for their own school). Concordia-St. Paul was picked second earning four first-place votes and 194 points, followed by Sioux Falls in third with five first-place votes and 185 points, UMary in fourth earning one first-place vote and 174 points, and Minnesota Duluth rounding out the top five with 166 points.
In the South Division poll, Minnesota State was picked to finish first with two first-place votes and 44 points. USF, with three first-place votes came second with 40 points, followed by Concordia-St. Paul in third (two first-place votes, 38 points), and St. Cloud State in fourth (one first-place vote, 29 points). SMSU (27 points), Winona State (22 points), Augustana (17 points) and Wayne State (7 points) close out the South Division poll in order.
CSP's Lauren Wilson was chosen as the Preseason Player of the Year in the South Division.
UMary was picked to finish first in the North Division, followed by UMD, Minnesota State Moorhead, Northern State, Minot State, Jamestown, Minnesota Crookston, and Bemidji State. UMary's Allison Undlin was selected as the North Division Player of the Year
The NSIC will feature divisions for the second straight season. The 12-team NSIC tournament will be seeded using the 22-game conference schedule, with the top four seeds in the overall standings receiving a first-round bye.
The tournament will begin on Feb. 24 with first round games played on campus sites. The quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship games will take place from Feb. 27-March 2 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
SMSU, coming off a 17-12 finish last season, finished fifth in the NSIC, and third in the South Division with a conference record of 14-8. The Mustangs, who defeated Minnesota Crookston in the NSIC Tournament first round, were defeated by UMary in the NSIC Tournament quarterfinals.
The Mustangs return nine letter winners and three starters from last season's team. Forward Natalie Nielsen is the lone fifth-year player on the squad and was selected as SMSU's 'Player to Watch' for the upcoming season. Nielsen was named to the All-NSIC second team last season averaging 13.2 ppg (T-third on the team) and leading the team grabbing 8.7 rpg. A native of Akron, Iowa, Nielsen had nine double-doubles last season, and in conference play, finished second in rebounding (8.5 rpg), and third in field goal percentage (.568). Her overall field goal percentage of 54.5 is the fifth highest in a season in SMSU history.
"Natalie's ability to score both at the rim and on the perimeter, combined with her elite rebounding, makes her an extremely difficult matchup," said Webb. "What really stands out is her confidence in her teammates and her ability to lead. With a younger team this season, her experience, competitiveness, and consistency will be really important for us. We're excited to see her continue to grow and embrace that leadership role."
SMSU's squad includes four seniors, led by guard Brynn Busse, who averaged 4.6 ppg and 2.1 apg playing just over 20 mpg. Forward Elizabeth Wagner returns after averaging 3.1 ppg and rpg last season. Elizabeth's sister Christina Wagner also returns, who appeared in 20 games in 2024-25. Guard Allison Milbrandt is the last senior on the team and has played in 32 games across the last two seasons.
Guard Nicole Maenke is one of two juniors on the 2026-27 team and looks again to be a key contributor on this year's squad, after averaging 14.2 ppg last season. Maenke was one of three players to start ever game in 2025-26, and was the team's primary three-point shooter, leading the team with 63 made field goals from behind the line. The native of Shakopee, Minn., also led the team in free throw percentage, shooting 90.8 from the charity stripe.
The other junior returner for the Mustangs is forward Kylan Gerads, who tied with Nielsen averaging 13.2 ppg, and finished third averaging 6.1 rpg. Gerads recorded three double doubles last season and had seven games of 20+ points while shooting 44.7 percent from the field. The product of Albany, Minn., along with Maenke started all 29 games for SMSU last season and averaged 29.7 mpg.
The Mustangs also retain a pair of sophomore guards in Allie Haabala, who appeared in all 29 games last season off the bench, averaging 14.4 mpg, 3.2 ppg, and 1.2 apg, and Logan Smidt returns after appearing in six games in 2025-26.
SMSU's team is rounded off by five freshmen, four of which are guards, and one center. Taleigha Bigler from Marshall, Minn., Kaia Anderson from Perham, Minn., Lily Hubin from Hector, Minn., and Mataya Messer from Bismarck, N.D., are the four incoming guards, while Elly Herickhoff from Villard, Minn., is the other newcomer for the Mustangs.
"I'm excited about the mix of experience and youth," Webb said. "We have a core group that understands what it takes to compete in our league and a young group that is hungry to learn and earn opportunities. It's going to be fun to watch this team grow."
Webb begins his 11th season as Mustangs head coach, holding a record of 141-131. After improving the program's win total in each of his first four seasons, he has led SMSU to a .500 or better record in the last seven seasons.
SMSU begins play in the 2026-27 season with a midday game inside the R/A Facility against Bethany Lutheran, before hosting the NSIC/MIAA Crossover with matchups against Northwest Missouri State and Washburn. The Mustangs begin conference action at home against Sioux Falls on Nov. 24.