SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) revealed its women's basketball preseason poll in an announcement Wednesday, and the Yellowjackets were picked to finish first.
UW-Superior garnered 48 points in the poll of conference head coaches, which included six-of-eight first place votes. The Cougars of Minnesota Morris finished in second with 42 points and a first-place vote, followed by Northwestern with 38 points and the final first place vote.
The 'Jackets return three All-UMAC selections from last season, including senior
Elise Besonen (Ewen, Mich./Ewen-Trout Creek), junior
MyKenzie Leccia (Somerset, Wis./Somerset) and sophomore
Charlotte Ferstl (Plain, Wis./River Valley).
Besonen returns for her senior season after being named the league's player of the year in 2023-24. Starting all 27 games and playing a full 40 minutes on 13 occasions, she ended the campaign as the top Yellowjacket scorer, scoring 399 points and sitting second across the UMAC. Along with drilling 52 three pointers, Besonen garnered a 90.6 field goal percentage that placed her fourth in all of NCAA Division III. Furthermore, her efforts at the line aided the Yellowjackets to finish seventh in the nation with a team-percentage of 76.5.
Leccia also started in all 27 games as a sophomore, leading to a spot on the All-UMAC Defensive Team. She saw 657 minutes on the hardwood, averaging 24.3 per game. Leccia scored a team-fourth 218 points, 75 of which came from the field. Defensively she led the team with 64 steals, while sitting third in the UMAC. She also added 117 rebounds, finishing the season third among her teammates.
Ferstl gained a start in all 27 games as a freshman, receiving an honorable mention citation. She saw 590 minutes on the court, averaging 21.9 minutes per game. Ferstl collected 197 rebounds, leading the Yellowjackets and ranking fourth on the UMAC standings. Ferstl blocked 38 opposing shots, surpassing all but one UMAC player in that category. Offensively she was responsible for 261 points, averaging 9.7 per game.
Bethany Lutheran finished fourth in the poll with 28 points, followed by North Central (25) and Martin Luther (23). Crown and Northland rounded out the conference with 13 and seven points, respectively.
The Yellowjackets commence the 2024-25 season Friday, Nov. 8, taking on Marian. The opening tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. inside Sadoff Gym.
