Burnsville, Minn. -- The University of Minnesota Duluth was selected by the league coaches as the overall and north division preseason favorite in the NSIC for the 2021-22 season. The Bulldogs received 12 first place votes and amassed 222 points. St. Cloud State was picked to finish second with 203 points. Augustana was picked to finish third with 187 points.
 
UMD senior forward Brooke Olson was chosen as the Preseason North Division Player of the Year. Olson was chosen as the NSIC North Division Player of the Year in 2020-2021 and was also the NSIC Player of the Year for 2019-2020 season. Olson led the conference with 21.9 points per game and finished ranked 7^th in scoring in the NCAA. Olson would also finish third in the conference with 7.8 rebounds per game. To add to her list of accomplishments, Olson has been named to the WBCA All-American Team twice and was also named as the 2019-2020 D2CCA Region Player of the Year.
 
Head Coach Mandy Pearson had this to say of her senior forward; "Brooke has a tireless work ethic, plays with great energy and is a team first player. I am extremely lucky to have Brooke in our program. I get excited every year to see what kind of improvements she has made in her game in the off season as she continues to find new ways to become a better basketball player and teammate every year. She is the most versatile player I have ever coached, and I love her passion for the game. She has a high basketball IQ, is extremely competitive and invests in her relationships with her teammates!"
 
The Bulldogs come into the season returning 13 players from last year's squad, all of which had playing time during a shortened 2020-2021 season. The Bulldogs will look to build on their success and hope to repeat as NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament Champions.
 
When asked about the upcoming season, coach Pearson had this to say; We return a veteran team that has a lot of talent but the best part for me is that they are extremely fun to be around. Every single workout, practice and film session is enjoyable because they bring great energy, are dedicated, and focused on constantly improving. One of the best parts about this year so far has been watching our upperclassmen do some of the teaching at workouts and practices. As coaches, I think we all preach improving every day. This is a group that truly grasps that concept and focuses hard through the ups and downs of everyday student-athlete life, finding ways to make our team a little better every day".
 
The Bulldogs will open the season November 16^th as they travel to face off against Drury University. They will have their conference and home opener on November 23^rd as they will host St. Cloud State at 5:30 PM.