Welcome back Summit League basketball fans! Below you will find the preseason 1st and 2nd team selections from our voters, as well as the first team Power Rankings of the 2021-22 Summit League Women’s Basketball season! I can’t believe it is already that time of year. We at Reaching the Summit Podcast are excited to once again bring you coverage of one of the best mid-major conferences in all of college basketball. The group of fans, website writers and podcast hosts rank the Summit League teams 1-10. The votes are tallied and the teams ranked accordingly. The preseason power rankings are based on how voters feel teams will finish the season. Once the season starts the weekly rankings aren’t necessarily a ranking on how teams will finish but a ranking to where they are at during that particular point in the season. Shall we get started?
First up, the Preseason Team Power Rankings!
Power Rankings: Preseason
1. South Dakota (68 points | 5 first-place votes)
The Coyotes return all five starters this year in their quest for yet another Summit League regular season and Tournament championship. Five of the seven voters believed that the Coyotes will finish as the top seed going into the Summit League Tournament.
2. South Dakota State (65 points | 2 first-place votes)
The Jackrabbits return with a loaded roster. After an unfortunate, abrupt end to her season, reigning Summit League Player of the Year Myah Selland will look to lead her team back to the Summit League Tournament as favorites.
3. North Dakota State (54 points)
The gap between the South Dakota schools and NDSU is closing fast. All seven voters put the Bison in the third spot, the only team to be consistently ranked by our voters. NDSU returns the bulk of their scoring this year. Watch out for this Bison squad.
4. Kansas City (43 points)
I really like this Kansas City roster. With the senior trio of Paige Bradford, Raven Nero, and Naomie Alnatas returning (56% of scoring), look for the Roos to improve drastically this year.
5. Western Illinois (41 points)
The voters were pretty split on Kansas City and Western Illinois at the 4/5 spots. The Leathernecks have a really impressive non-conference schedule this year. A couple of notable matchups include at Notre Dame (Nov 11) and at Butler (Nov 13).
6. Oral Roberts (34 points)
The Golden Eagles will be motivated to improve on their 6-15 record from last year. I believe this roster is much better than what their record shows. In order for that to happen, the defense will need to improve after allowing 89 ppg last year.
7. Denver (31 points)
Coach Woods enters her second season at Denver. After going 7-16 last year, her squad is more than ready to compete in the Summit League. While the voters may have the Pioneers at 7, this team has the potential to end the season much higher.
8. Omaha (28 points)
After last year’s incredible run in the Summit League Tournament, Coach Banks and her Mavericks squad will be out for blood again. Don’t let this ranking fool you. The Mavericks get after it and are a joy to watch. They will be a tough road test for teams this year.
9. North Dakota (13 points)
If the Fighting Hawks want to get out of the bottom of the pack, shooting will need to improve this year. UND shot 37% from the field last year, 29% from behind the arc, and only 69% from the free-throw line. I look forward to seeing Coach Bernhard’s squad compete this season.
10. St. Thomas (8 points)
Welcome to the Summit League, Tommies! Most voters placed St. Thomas at the bottom of these rankings and nothing would make us happier then to see this team prove us wrong. We will dive deeper into Coach Sinn’s squad in the team preview next week.
Summit League First Team Selections
1. Chloe Lamb – South Dakota (Preseason Player of the Year)
2. Hannah Sjerven – South Dakota
3. Myah Selland – South Dakota State
4. Paiton Burckhard – South Dakota State
5. Naomie Alnatas – Kansas City
Summit League Second Team Selections
1. Tylee Irwin – South Dakota State
2. Heaven Hamling – North Dakota State
3. Liv Korngable – South Dakota
4. Keni Jo Lippe – Oral Roberts
5. Uju Ezeudu – Denver
6. Raven Nero – Kansas City
Also receiving votes:
Meghan Boyd (Denver); Ryan Cobbins (North Dakota State); Tierney Coleman (Oral Roberts); Emily Dietz (North Dakota State); Maddie Krull (South Dakota); Elena Pilakouta (Omaha); Evan Zars (Western Illinois).
Thanks for the read! I will try and get a team-by-team breakdown out by the end of next week. Also have several coaches scheduled for interviews in preparation for our first podcast episode pertaining to women’s basketball! Be sure to follow us on Twitter @reachsummitpod.
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