Oct. 20—SIOUX CITY, Iowa. — The Dakota Wesleyan University women’s basketball team was picked to finish second in the recent Great Plains Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll, while the Tiger men were picked to finish seventh.
The Tiger women are coming off a 25-win season that saw DWU reach the second round of the NAIA national tournament, and DWU was 18-4 in GPAC play. The Tigers bring back their top six scorers from last season ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
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Two-time NAIA national champion Dordt was picked as the preseason favorite in the GPAC for women’s basketball. The Defenders won the league regular-season and tournament titles in 2024-25.
The Defenders tallied 10 of the possible 12 first-place votes. DWU was picked second with 111 points and one first-place vote. Hastings was selected third with 99 points and the final first-place vote, with Briar Cliff and Morningside rounding out the top-five slots. Last season, Dordt, DWU, Hastings, Briar Cliff and Northwestern represented the GPAC in the national women’s tournament.
DWU women’s basketball starts its season on Tuesday, Oct. 28 at Division I Drake University with a 6 p.m. exhibition game in Des Moines, Iowa. The regular-season opener is Tuesday, Nov. 4 against Bismarck State (N.D.) at 6 p.m. at the Corn Palace.
For the DWU men, they were picked seventh with 42 points after a 20-10 season that reached the NAIA tournament under former coach Kevin Williamson, who departed after one season to coach at Dakota State. Former assistant Sam Nicholson has taken over the head coaching role for the Tigers, who saw their top three scorers all graduate but return extensive experience at the guard and wing positions.
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In GPAC men’s basketball, Northwestern was selected as the preseason choice to win the league title. The Red Raiders tallied 10 of the possible 11 first-place votes. Morningside was picked second with 86 points, while Dordt and Concordia tied for third with 78 points each. The Defenders garnered the final first-place vote.
Dordt won the 2024-25 GPAC men’s regular season with an 18-2 record, while Morningside won the GPAC tournament championship. Alongside DWU, Northwestern, Concordia, Dordt and Morningside all made the NAIA tournament, with Northwestern putting together the longest run, reaching the round of 16.
The DWU men’s basketball season begins on Tuesday, Oct. 28 at the Corn Palace, when the Tigers host Grand View (Iowa) at 6 p.m.
GPAC basketball preseason polls:
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Coaches voted on a 10 or 11-to-1 point scale and could not vote for their own team.
Men’s basketball: 1. Northwestern 100 (10); 2. Morningside 86; T3. Concordia 78; T3. Dordt 78 (1); 5. Midland 60; 6. Briar Cliff 59; 7. Dakota Wesleyan 42; 8. Mount Marty 36; 9. Hastings 33; 10. Doane 23; 11. Waldorf 11.
Women’s basketball: 1. Dordt 120 (10), 2. Dakota Wesleyan 111 (1), 3. Hastings 99 (1), 4. Briar Cliff 86, 5. Morningside 83; 6. Concordia 73; 7. Northwestern 62; 8. Mount Marty 51; 9. Doane 44; 10. Midland 31; 11. Waldorf 18; 12. College of Saint Mary 14.
