Full NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll

The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference cited University of Minnesota Duluth senior forward Katrina Newman as its 2013-14 North Division Preseason Player of the Year while the coaches picked the Bulldogs to finish second in the division this season.

Newman has been selected by the league coaches as the NSIC North's top player to watch for the second consecutive season. Newman has earned All-NSIC honors in each of her first three seasons at UMD with first team selections the past two years after being named the league's top newcomer in 2010-11. Also an All-NSIC Academic team selection, Newman had more twenty-point games (nine) than single-digit scoring outputs (four) in 2012-13 while averaging nearly 16 points, eight rebounds, and three steals on the season. Overall, she averages 13.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, making good on 41.7 percent of shot attempts in her Bulldog career.

UMD received three of eight first-place votes to land in the second spot in the North division behind St. Cloud State. Overall, the Bulldogs found themselves sixth in the conference. Defending champion Concordia-St. Paul received ten of 16 first-place votes as four South division teams ranked ahead of the top North division team. UMD finished 2012-13 with a 14-13 overall record including an 11-11 conference mark which placed them fifth in the North division.

Junior guard Alyssa Kerkhoff was also slated as a player to watch in the conference this year. She started the final 22 games for the Bulldogs in 2012-13 while playing in all 27 and ranked in the top 25 in minutes among NSIC players with 30.22 per game. Kerkhoff made good on 36.6% of her overall shot attempts including 29.4 from beyond the arc. She averaged 6.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in 2013, improving her career average to 5.0 points and 4.1 boards. She also posted career-highs with 37 assists and 43 steals in her second season with the Bulldogs.

UMD opens up its season with an exhibition match-up against NCAA Division III Bethel University on Nov.9 at 2:00 p.m. The Bulldogs travel to preseason favorite Concordia-St. Paul at the turn of the new year on Jan. 3, and open the NSIC schedule against North division favorite St. Cloud State in St. Cloud on Nov. 30. The full season schedule is available by clicking here.