BURNSVILLE, Minn. — The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference released its 2025-26 women's basketball preseason coaches' poll on Thursday. Concordia-St. Paul was picked to finish second out of 16 teams.
The reigning NSIC champion Golden Bears received 202 points and four first place votes in the poll. Minnesota State claimed the top spot in the poll, the Mavericks received 215 points and eight first place votes.
NSIC coaches rank each team from one to 14 with a first place vote receiving 14 points, second place 13, third place 12 etc. Coaches do not rank their own team or vote for their own players in the preseason poll.
Last season the Golden Bears finished 29-3 (20-2), with the most regular season and conference wins in program history. CSP also recorded back-to-back 20+ win seasons for the first time since 2013-14.
Concordia marched through the NSIC tournament, defeating St. Cloud State, Northern State and Minnesota State to claim their sixth NSIC title. CSP earned a trip to the NCAA tournament as the second seed in the Central Region, before falling to Southwest Minnesota State in the first round.
"Our team really clicked last year," Head Coach Amanda Johnson said. "And we have a lot of that same team chemistry and work ethic coming into this year that really excites me."
Senior guard Lydia Haack was tabbed as the Golden Bears player to watch entering the 2025-26 season. Haack was a first team All-NSIC selection last spring, averaging 16.8 points per game while shooting 45% from the field and 36% from beyond the arc.
"Lydia Haack coming into her senior year will definitely be a player that makes us very competitive this season," Johnson said. "With the skill set that she possesses and how she makes everyone else around her better."
Haack recorded 538 points last year, while averaging 4.5 assists per game,while hitting 83% of the time from the charity stripe. On the defensive side of the ball the senior guard averaged 4.8 rebounds per game as well. Haack started and played in all 32 games for the Golden Bears last season, averaging 30 minutes a game.
With the addition of Jamestown to the conference, the NSIC is returning to the north-south division format.
Concordia was picked to finish second in the South Division, the Golden Bears received 41 points and two first place votes. Minnesota State was picked to finish first in the division, with the Mavericks receiving 48 points and six first place votes.
Minnesota State-Moorhead was picked to finish first in the North Division, the Dragons received 43 points and two first place votes. UMary was picked to finish second receiving 42 points and two first place votes.
Natalie Bremer of Minnesota State was picked as the NSIC South Division Preseason Player of the Year. Bremer is a two-time first team All-NSIC selection, averaging 20 points per game and 48% from the field for the Mavericks last season.
Emma Miller of Minnesota-Crookston was picked as the NSIC North Division Preseason Player of the Year. Miller is a two-time All-NSIC first team selection, averaging 22 points per game last season, while also averaging 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.
The Golden Bears open the 2025-26 season with an exhibition game against St. Kate's at the Gangelhoff Center on Thursday, Oct. 30. Regular season play begins in St. Joseph, Missouri when CSP takes on Fort Hays State on Friday, Nov. 14.
NSIC play begins for the Golden Bears on Nov. 25 against Winona State. The NSIC slate will consist of a 22 game schedule, with each team playing their in division opponent twice (14) and teams in the other division once (8).
The 12-team NSIC Women's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Championship will take place from February 28-March 3, at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The top four seeds will receive a first round bye. First round games will take place on campus on Wednesday, Feb. 25.
The 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship will take place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the UPMC Fieldhouse on March 24-28.
