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From the MIAC Web site:
“Five teams received first place votes in the women's basketball poll but Concordia finished first. The Cobbers topped 2005-06 MIAC champion Saint Benedict, along with Carleton, Gustavus, and St. Thomas close behind. Non-conference women's basketball games begin on Friday, November 17 and MIAC conference games start on Wednesday, November 29.
1. Concordia (3)
2. Saint Benedict (4)
3. Carleton (2)
4. Gustavus (2)
5. St. Thomas (1)
6. Bethel
7. (tie) Hamline
7. (tie) St. Olaf
9. St. Catherine
10. Saint Mary's
11. Augsburg
12. Macalester”
But note that Concordia won the post-season tournament last year, St. Ben’s the regular season only.
Also, DH3 put St. Ben’s at #19 in its pre-season poll while Concordia is not rated.
Concordia has top scorer F-C Melanie Hageman (Fargo) back plus four other starters in Anne Keeley (Grafton), Jenna Freudenberg (Parkers Prairie, MN), Sarah Krabbenhoft (Sioux Falls), Ashley King (Arthur, ND). (Krabbenhoft and King split one of the starting roles.)
St. Ben’s returns starters Darby Noreen (Albany, MN), Katie Kempe (Cretin), Jen Dahled (Apple Valley) plus occasional starters Julie Falvey (Lakeville) and Nikki Carter and Ariel Tauer (Edina). But they lost their best player in Anna Heikkenen, also from Edina.
Carleton loses four-year starter Megan Vig, but returns guard Hannah Oken-Berg. Gustavus loses 2 starters but returns star Bri Monahan (Hutchinson, MN). St. Thomas has had 3 non-winning seasons in a row (after just one ever before) but returns 4 starters.
Bottom line: Concordia looks like the team to beat but St. Ben’s will indeed be a strong contender. I don’t think the others have the depth that the top 2 teams have, though Carleton (Oken-Berg) and Gustavus (Monahan) have the go-to players that St. Ben’s perhaps lacks. I would be inclined to put Gustavus 3rd and Carleton 4th myself. But the real question is when the MIAC will produce another super team, a final four contender like St. Thomas and St. Ben’s were from the early ‘90s through the early ‘00s. MIAC teams have struggled in the NCAA tournament the past several years, as have the MIAC men. Too much parity, perhaps, though the St. Thomas men look pretty tough this year.
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