October 23, 2023
BISMARCK, N.D. – Dakota State (S.D.) edged out Mayville State (N.D.) by one point to claim the top spot in the 2023-24 North Star Athletic Association Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Preseason Poll, announced by the conference office Monday.
The Trojans collected four first-place votes and 46 points in the preseason poll, voted by the league’s head coaches. MSU was second with three first-place votes and 45 points.
Dakota State won their third straight North Star Athletic Association regular-season title last season. Mayville State defeated DaSU in the postseason tournament’s championship game. Both teams qualified for the NAIA Women’s Basketball National Tournament.
The Trojans were the first North Star Athletic Association member to advance to the NAIA Women’s Basketball National Tournament’s semifinal game, finishing their 2023-24 season with an overall record of 29-7 and 13-1 record in the NSAA. Dakota State fell short to the eventual national champion Clarke (Iowa) 79-69 in the national semifinals.
Mayville State was 24-6 overall record and 12-2 record in the North Star contests in 2023-24. The Comets earned the North Star’s automatic bid to the national tournament, defending Science & Arts (Okla.) in the opening round before falling to host-team Dordt (Iowa) in second round.
Bellevue (Neb.) was picked to finish third with 33 points, followed by Dickinson State (N.D.) fourth with 27 points, Valley City State (N.D.) fifth with 21 points, Viterbo (Wis.) sixth with 15 points, and Waldorf (Iowa) sixth with nine points.
Points are awarded on a 7-1 basis and coaches can vote for their own team.
Each NSAA member will be playing a total of 12 conference games this season, with each team playing home and away games during the conference season.
The 2023-24 NAIA Women’s Basketball season gets underway on Thursday.
The NSAA conference season begins on Jan. 6, 2024, with Dakota State traveling to Bellevue. Most NSAA contests will begin the following week. The regular-season schedule concludes on Feb. 16-17, 2024.
All seven North Star members will compete in the women’s basketball postseason conference tournament. This year’s conference postseason tournament will be held at the higher seed campus’ sites in each round. The opening round, in which the top seed will get a bye, will get underway on Feb. 21, 2024. The semifinals are set for Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024, with the championship game being held on Sunday, March 3, 2024.
The North Star Women’s Basketball Postseason Tournament’s champion will receive an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament’s Opening Round scheduled for March 15-16, 2024. The winner of the national tournament’s opening round will advance to the final site in Sioux City, Iowa from March 21-26, 2023.
Here is the complete 2023-24 NSAA Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Preseason Poll:
| 2023-24 North Star Athletic Association Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll |
| Rank |
School |
Points |
| 1 |
Dakota State (S.D.) (4) |
46 |
| 2 |
Mayville State (N.D.) (3) |
45 |
| 3 |
Bellevue (Neb.) |
33 |
| 4 |
Dickinson State (N.D.) |
27 |
| 5 |
Valley City State (N.D.) |
21 |
| 6 |
Viterbo (Wis.) |
15 |
| 7 |
Waldorf (Iowa) |
9 |
| *First-place votes in parenthesis |
2023-24 North Star Athletic Association Women’s Basketball Team Capsules (provided by NSAA institutions' Sports Information Directors)
 Bellevue (Neb.)
Head Coach: Dave Denly (8th season)
2022-23 Record: 17-12 overall record, 10-4 NSAA (3rd place)
2023 Postseason: NSAA Postseason Tournament Semifinalist
2023 NAIA Final Ranking: N/A
Top Returners from 2022-23 season:
(#21) Ashtyn Arnold (Junior – Guard) – 9.5 ppg, 52.3% FG, 5.3 rpg
(#23) Delaney VanBlaricon (Senior – Guard) – 7.1 ppg, 34.8% 3-point FG, 55 3-pointers
(#24) Kaziah Terrell (Junior – Guard) – 4.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg |
 Dakota State (S.D.)
Head Coach: David Moe (7th season)
2022-23 Record: 29-7 overall record, 13-1 NSAA (1st place)
2023 Postseason: NAIA National Tournament National Semifinalist; NAIA National
Tournament Opening Round Champion; NSAA Postseason Tournament Runner-Up;
NSAA Regular-Season Champion
2023 NAIA Final Ranking: No. 24
Top Returners from 2022-23 season:
(#14) Savannah Walsdorf (Senior – Froward) – NAIA Women’s Basketball All-America
Honorable Mention; NAIA Women’s Basketball National All-Tournament Second
Team; 3-time NSAA All-Conference selection; 12.2 ppg (49% FG), 7.3 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2.4 spg
(#21) Angela Slattery (Junior – Guard) – 7.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.5 spg
(#25) Lilli Mackley (Junior – Guard) – 8.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.4 spg
(#31) Morgan Huber (Senior – Guard) – 5.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.3 spg,
(#5) Caitlin Dyer (Sophomore – Guard) – NSAA Freshman of the Year – 6.8 ppg, 2.4 apg |
 Dickinson State (N.D.)
Head Coach: Eric Nelson (5th season)
2022-23 Record: 13-17 overall record, 7-7 NSAA (Tie 4th place)
2022-23 Postseason: NSAA Tournament semifinalist
2023 NAIA Final Ranking: N/A
Top Returners from 2022-23 season:
(#25) Samantha Oase (Junior – Center) – 11.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.7 apg – NSAA 2nd
Team All-Conference; NSAA Newcomer of the year
(#14) Kayden Steel (Junior – Guard) – 7.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg
(#21) Heather LaBree (Senior – Guard) – 4.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.3 apg
(#20) Tinley Pierson (Junior – Guard) – 4.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg |
 Mayville State (N.D.)
Head Coach: Dennis Hutter (19th season)
2022-23 Record: 24-6 overall record, 12-2 NSAA (2nd place)
2022-23 Postseason: NAIA Women’s Basketball National Tournament
Opening Round Runner-up; NSAA Tournament Champion
2023 NAIA Final Ranking: N/A
Top Returners from 2022-23 season:
(#23) Jordan Zrust (Senior – Guard) – NAIA All-America 1st Team; NSAA Most Valuable Player;
NSAA 1st Team All-Conference; NSAA All-Defense Team; 19.9 ppg, 51.9% FG, 10.6 rpg, 1.5 spg
(#3) Erin Walcker (Senior – Guard) – NSAA 1st Team All-Conference; 13.0 ppg, 46.4% FG, 3.6 rpg, 1.1 bpg
(#5) Mackenzie Hughes (Junior – Guard) – NSAA 2nd Team All-Conference; 11.2 ppg,3.6 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.3 spg
(#2) CJ Decker (Senior – Guard) – 6.9 ppg, 44.7% FG, 2.8 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.3 spg
(#10) Jes Mertens (Senior – Guard) – NSAA Honorable Mention; NSAA All-Defense Team; 10.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg,
2.2 apg, 2.3 spg |
 Valley City State (N.D.)
Head Coach: Vanessa Johnson (7th season)
2022-23 Record: 14-14 overall record, 7-7 NSAA (Tie 4th place)
2023 Postseason: NSAA quarterfinalist
2023 NAIA Final Ranking: N/A
Top Returners from 2022-23 season:
(#12) Ashlyn Diemert (Junior – Guard) – NSAA 2nd Team All-Conference; 11.3 ppg,
3.9 rpg, 1.3 spg
(#20) Adriana Torres (Senior – Guard) – 7.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg
(#15) JayCee Richter (Sophomore – Guard) – 7.3 ppg, 41.6% FG, 3.0 rpg, 1.2 apg
(#3) Hailey Roberts (Junior – Guard) – 7.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.5 apg |
 Viterbo (Wis.)
Head Coach: Lionel Jones (5th season)
2022-23 Record: 7-20 overall record, 4-10 NSAA (6th place)
2022-23 Postseason: NSAA quarterfinalist
2023 NAIA Final Ranking: N/A
Top Returners from 2022-23 season:
(#24) Emma Wagner (Senior – Guard) – 5.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.3 spg
(#32) Emily McCurdy (Junior – Forward) – 5.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.6 spg
(#11) Gina Stefferud (Sophomore – Guard/Forward) – 6.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg |
 Waldorf (Iowa)
Head Coach: Shawn Chaffin (2nd season)
2022-23 Record: 4-21 overall record, 2-12 NSAA (7th place)
2023 Postseason: NSAA quarterfinalist
2023 NAIA Final Ranking: N/A
Top Returners from 2022-23 season:
(#15) Lindsay Field (Junior – Forward) – 6.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.2 apg
(#21) Sandra Christian (Junior – Guard) – 7.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.2 apg
(#24) Lizzie Garza (Junior – Guard) – 7.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg |