BURNSVILLE, Minn. -- The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) announced Thursday its preseason coaches' poll and players to watch for women's basketball. Minnesota State Moorhead was predicted to finish seventh in the preseason rankings while junior point guard
Ashton Safranski was tabbed as the Dragon 'Player to Watch'.
The Dragons occupied 146 total points in the overall poll for the seventh place marks. Minnesota State topped the poll with 215 points and six first-place votes. Concordia-St. Paul (4), Sioux Falls (5) and UMary (1) earned the other first-place nods. Additionally, Moorhead was selected to finish third in the NSIC North Division poll, earning 40 points and a first-place vote. The Marauders (4) and Minnesota Duluth (3) collected the other first-place votes in that index.
Moorhead is coming off a 14-14 campaign in 2025-26, which included an NSIC Tournament First Round victory over Northern State. The Dragons also pushed eventual NSIC Tournament Champion Concordia-St. Paul to the limit in the NSIC Quarterfinals a season ago. Moorhead is set to return 12 players from last season's squad to go along with six incoming transfers or true freshmen.
"The keys for us will be how we defend and rebound on both ends of the floor!" said head coach
Karla Nelson, who embarks on her 27th season at the helm this season. "We have a veteran group that is looking forward to putting their stamp on this season!"
Safranski earns the 'Player to Watch' moniker following an All-NSIC Second Team season as a sophomore in 2025-26. The Fargo, N.D., product averaged 10.6 points per game while also tabbing five assists and nearly six rebounds a contest. Safranski also led the Dragons defensively with 66 steals, a mark that was near the top of the NSIC in 2025-26. The junior had a season-high of 22 points on January 10 against Winona State. Safranski also recorded the first triple-double in MSUM women's basketball history on January 30, 2026 against St. Cloud State, scoring 13 points with 12 assists and 10 rebounds in the Dragon victory.
"As a sophomore Ash had a really solid year on both ends of the floor. Coming into her junior year, she has improved her offensive game and has become more dynamic," said Nelson of Safranski. "Where she really excels is on the defensive end, she will be very disruptive for the Dragons this season."
The Dragons are set to begin the season as part of the CWU D2 Tip-Off Classic in Ellensburg, Wash., beginning October 30. Moorhead is set to begin that three-game tournament against host Central Washington at 3 p.m.
