Northwestern College is picked fourth in the 2019-20 GPAC Women's Basketball preseason coaches' poll released by the conference office earlier today. 

    GPAC Press Release | PDF

Totaling 82 points, the Red Raiders are tabbed fourth among the 12 teams in the Great Plains Athletic Conference. They are two points ahead of both Hastings and Morningside and are 23 in back of third place Dakota Wesleyan. Defending national champion Concordia, last year's GPAC regular and postseason champion, is picked first with 121 points and 11 of 12 first place votes. Dordt, a national qualifier last year, is second and earned the final first place vote. 

Northwestern returns two starters and nine players from 2018-19 team that lost in the national semifinals for the second consecutive year and finised with a 29-5 overall record. Head Coach Chris Yaw, who begins his ninth year as the team's head coach, guided the Red Raiders to a 19-3 record in the GPAC, sharing the conference regular season title with Concordia. 

The Red Raiders open the season on the road at the Trinity Christian College Tournament on Nov. 1 and 2 in Palos Heights, Ill.

2019-20 GPAC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll: 
 

Place	School	Points	1st Place Votes
1.	Concordia	121	11
2.	Dordt	107	1
3.	Dakota Wesleyan	105
4.	Northwestern	82
T5.	Hastings	80
T5.	Morningside	80
7.	Midland	55
8.	University of Jamestown	50
9.	Briar Cliff	48
10.	Mount Marty	32
11.	College of Saint Mary	17
12.	Doane	15