The Wayne State women's basketball team was voted to finish 14th overall and eighth place in the NSIC South Division in the 2026-27 NSIC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll that was released Thursday afternoon. Senior forward/center Brooklyn Kruse was listed as the Player to Watch this season for the Wildcats.
            The Wildcats bring back six players from last year's team that was 10-18 overall and 5-17 in the NSIC South and received 41 points overall and seven points in the South Division poll. 
            Defending NSIC regular season champion Minnesota State was listed as the team to beat this year receiving 215 points and six first-place ballots followed by Concordia-St. Paul in second at 194 points and four first-place votes.  Sioux Falls was third collecting 185 points and five first-place votes followed by UMary (174 points) and Minnesota Duluth with 166 points rounding out the top five teams.
            Kruse, a 6-3 forward/center from Wayne (Wayne HS) missed all of last season due to injury and is the lone senior on this year's Wildcat roster.  In the 2024-25 season she averaged 5.7 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 43 percent from the field.
            Wayne State will play an exhibition game on Friday, October 23^rd at the University of Nebraska at 6 p.m.  The Wildcats officially open the 2026-27 season at home on Monday, November 9^th hosting Upper Iowa at 5 p.m. 
 
2026-27 Preseason NSIC Women's Basketball Coaches Poll
1.         Minnesota State (6)                   215 pts.
2.         Concordia-St. Paul (4)               194 pts.
3.         Sioux Falls (5)                           185 pts.
4.         University of Mary                     174 pts.
5.         Minnesota Duluth                      166 pts.
6.         Southwest Minnesota State      158 pts.
7.         MSU Moorhead                         146 pts.
8.         St. Cloud State                          138 pts.
9..        Winona State                            112 pts.
10.        Northern State                         108 pts.
11.        Augustana                                 82 pts.
12.        Minot State                               80 pts.
13.        Jamestown                               61 pts.
14.        Wayne State                            41 pts.
15.        Minnesota Crookston               38 pts.
16.        Bemidji State                            22 pts.
                        first place votes in ( )
South Division
1.         Minnesota State (2)                   44 pts.
2.         Sioux Falls (2)                           40 pts.
3..        Concordia-St. Paul (2)               38 pts.
4.         St. Cloud State (1)                     29 pts.
5.         Southwest Minnesota State      27 pts.
6.         Winona State                            22 pts.
7.         Augustana                                17 pts.
8.         Wayne State                             7 pts.