BURNSVILLE, Minn. - The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference has released the 2021-22 NSIC women's basketball preseason coaches' poll and Concordia-St. Paul was picked to finish ninth in the conference and sixth in the south division.

NSIC coaches rank each team in the NSIC in the overall poll and teams 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 Golden Bears received 117 points in the poll, just four fewer than the eighth-place Dragons. In the south division poll, the Bears received 25 points, just two fewer than the fifth-place Winona State Warriors who also received a first place vote. Augustana was picked to win the south with a total of 44 points and three first place votes while Minnesota Duluth was picked to finish first in the north with 49 points and seven first place votes. The Bulldogs were also picked to win the conference as a whole with 222 points and 12 of the 15 possible first place votes. 

Minnesota Duluth's Brooke Olson and Sioux Falls' Anna Brecht were named the NSIC Preseason Players of the Year. 

The Golden Bears enter the 2021-22 season coming off a successful 2020-21 campaign that saw them finish 11-6 overall and 9-5 in NSIC play. CSP earned a spot in the 2021 NSIC Women's Basketball Tournament as the second seed in the South with a matchup against the Bemidji State Beavers, the third seed in the North. The Bears ultimately fell to the Beavers in a tight 71-70 loss. This year's squad is poised for another strong season as 10 of the 13 players will return from a year ago. Among the returners is senior guard Riley Wheatcraft. The All-NSIC South Division First Teamer was dominant for the Bears last season, averaging 13.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 17 games.

Freshman forward Lindsey Becher was also a key player for CSP last year as she burst onto the scene with a season that earned her the title of NSIC South Division Freshman of the Year. The Shoreview, Minn. native ranked second in the NSIC and sixth in the nation with 2.8 blocks per game while also shooting a team-leading 52.2% from the floor and averaging 11.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Along with the 10 returners, the Bears will also add three new freshmen to the mix.

"This team loves playing together and they all get along so great which really helps our team chemistry on the court and understanding each other's strengths and weaknesses," said head coach Amanda Johnson. She added, "We have our top three scorers returning with Riley, Lindsey and Meghan and have some other players who I think will really step up this year for us. Our post player Lindsey Becher can really do it all both offensively and defensively and we believe will be a very dominate player in our conference again this year."

The regular season champion will be based on the 22-game NSIC schedule. Each team will play teams in their division twice (14) and teams in the other division once (8). 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 case of a tie, co-champions will be awarded. The 12-team NSIC / Sanford Health Women's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Championships are set to take place February 26 to March 1 at the Sanford Health Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The top two seeds in each division will receive a first round bye. First round games will be played on campus on Wednesday, Feb. 23.

The Bears will get their regular season rolling with a contest against North Central on November 16 at the Gangelhoff Center.