SEASON PREVIEW: 2023-24 Red Raider Women's Basketball

Season tips off first weekend of November in the Chicagoland area

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The Northwestern College women's basketball team prepares for a highly competitive 2023-24 season heading into year three under the direction of head coach Kristin Rotert. The Red Raiders top-off the season with a road trip to the Chicagoland area the first weekend of November.

"I'm most excited for this new journey with a new team," said Rotert. "Every year is so unique and different, and I'm excited to walk through this process with this group of young women."

2023-24 SEASON OUTLOOK
Returning 2022-23 First Team All-Conference performer in Maddie Jones (Gr., Twin Lakes, Iowa) for her fifth-year, plus Second Team performer and 2021-22 Honorable Mention All-American forward Molly Schany (Sr., Emmetsburg, Iowa).

"Maddie is a great leader, teammate, and ambassador for everything Northwestern College stands for," commented Rotert. "I look forward to having the opportunity to coach Maddie one more year."

Rotert indicated Red Raider fans can expect to see a group of high energy women looking to get out and run in transition as much as possible, heading into year three of the Rotert system.

"Raider nation will really enjoy watching this squad compete. We have a group of high energy players," noted Rotert. "Our roster is highlighted by a deep rotation of strong post players, combined with highly skilled and athletic guards."

For the second-straight season, the schedule opens up with an out-of-state road trip as Northwestern will open the campaign in the Chicagoland area with a pair of Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) foes in Indiana Northwest and Trinity Christian (Ill.) on November 3-4 on the campus of Trinity Christian College.

The annual Pizza Ranch Classic will take place the weekend of Veterans/Armistice Day weekend on November 10-11. The Red Raiders will play Mayville State (N.D.) (Friday) and Saint Mary (Kan.) (Saturday) in this year's classic.

A pair of non-conference contests will happen over Christmas break timeframe. The Red Raiders will make the trip to Madison, S.D. to battle the Trojans of Dakota State University and back to the state of South Dakota on December 30 for a clash with NCAA Division II Augustana University.

"It's a great opportunity to start our season on the road against two quality opponents," said Rotert. "In the addition to the challenges on the court, we look forward to traveling to Chicago together and connecting as a team."

GPAC PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
Announced last Thursday (October 19), the Red Raiders were selected to finish fifth in the poll, after finishing in a tie for fifth-place a season ago with a 19-11 (14-8 GPAC) record. Northwestern picked up 81 votes, finishing three votes behind Jamestown who was selected to finish fourth by the league's head coaches.

Northwestern Selected to Finish Fifth in @GPACSports Preseason Poll.

📰: https://t.co/3SmVf1mucP #RaidersStandOut | @nwcwbasketball pic.twitter.com/oiPs0Fkif5
— NWC Red Raiders (@nwcraiders) October 19, 2023

The Dordt Defenders were picked to repeat at regular season champions, picking up 11 of the 12 first-place votes and 121 team points. The defending conference tournament champions, the Chargers of Briar Cliff University, were picked to finish second, and the only other team with 100+ points (105). The Concordia (Neb.) Bulldogs picked up the 12^th first-place vote and tallied 99 points for a third-place prediction.

NOTICEABLE NEWCOMERS
Northwestern welcomes seven newcomers to the varsity roster this season with six freshmen and one transfer. Senior transfer guard Kaydin Davis (Buffalo, Wyo.) looks to make a splash for the Red Raiders, bringing three years of experience from NCAA Division II South Dakota School of Mines.

Of the freshman, guard Akaysa Duitscher (Rolfe, Iowa) and forwards Emily TerWee (Larchwood, Iowa) and Jenna Kluxdal (Jordan, Minn.) all look to provide able minutes in the rotation this season, according to the coaching staff.

ROLLING AT HOME
Following a stellar 16-1 record inside the Bultman Center in her first year, Rotert has the Red Raiders playing well in front of the home crowd in her two seasons. Overall, she sits 27-5 against opponents on the John and Ann Den Hartog Court for a .844-win percentage. Of those wins, seven have come against top-25 NAIA teams, including a pair of top-5 wins the last two seasons over No. 4 Marian (Ind.) (2021-22) and No. 4 Dordt (2022-23).

2022-23 SEASON REWIND
The 2022-23 season saw Northwestern make their second-straight trip to the NAIA national tournament under Rotert, earning a berth as the No. 10-seed and heading out to Dubuque, Iowa for a clash with Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.).

It was the second-straight year that began on a 10-game winning streak, beginning with a pair of 20+-point wins against a pair of Kansas Collegiate Athletic Association (KCAC) foes in Bethel (Kan.) and Tabor (Kan.). The Red Raiders would then return to the Bultman Center and the Pizza Ranch Classic to pick up two more 20+-point wins over Dickinson State (N.D.) and Trinity Christian (Ill.).

GPAC play began with five-straight wins, including a home win over NCAA Division II foe Chadron State (Neb.) (88-59). The first loss didn't come until the month of December against then-ranked No. 5 Dordt in Sioux Center. The Red Raiders would go onto compile a 14-8 league record and finish in a tie for fifth-place in the league standings.

Heading to Mitchell, S.D. as the No. 5-seed, Northwestern would battle No. 4-seed Dakota Wesleyan in the Corn Palace, falling 69-62 in the GPAC Quarterfinals.

GPAC OUTLOOK
Conference play will once again begin with a trip to Omaha, Nebraska for a clash with the Flames from the College of Saint Mary. Two-straight home games will follow against Concordia (Neb.) on Saturday, November 18 and the final regular-season home GPAC meeting with the Jimmies from the University of Jamestown on Tuesday, November 21. A trip to Sioux County rival Dordt University on November 29 will mark the end of the month of November.

December starts with a trip to Hastings, Neb. on December 2. The final two league games before Christmas break will be inside the Bultman Center on the week of December 4 when the Tigers from Dakota Wesleyan (December 6) and Doane (December 9) make the trek to Orange City.

"The GPAC is as strong as ever," noted Rotert. "We look forward to the challenge of competing night in and night out against some of the best teams in the country."

Into the second half of the season, the month of January will see four home games of the eight games that month. Briar Cliff (January 10), Midland (January 13), Hastings (January 27), and College of Saint Mary (January 31) will all make visits to the Bultman Center. A three-game road trip stretch in the middle of the month will see the Red Raiders visit Morningside, Doane, and Dakota Wesleyan between January 17-24.

The final month of the regular season will see Mount Marty, Morningside, and Dordt all come to Orange City. The month will see Northwestern on the road (4 games) more than being at home (3 games).

The quarterfinals of the GPAC tournament is set for Wednesday, February 28 with opponent, location, and time to be determined as the season progresses.

THE ROTERT PROFILE
In her two full seasons in Orange City, she has compiled a 43-20 overall record and has led NWC to two-straight NAIA national tournament appearances. To start both of her seasons at NWC, Rotert led the Red Raiders to 10-straight wins to start the seasons.

She has coached one All-American in her two seasons (Schany, HM, 2021-22) and nine All-Conference performers, including two First Team All-GPAC players.

Additionally, under Rotert's guidance, the Red Raider women's basketball team has excelled in the classroom. The 2022-23 academic year saw Northwestern finished tied for sixth in the NAIA with a 3.757 team GPA. Rotert has coached one College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America selection in Molly Schany (2023) and a pair of CSC Academic All-District honorees (Schany & Emilee Danner, 2023).

FOLLOW THE RAIDERS
All home games inside the Bultman Center will be live streamed (free to watch) on nwcraiders.com and will also have live stats, powered by SIDEARM Sports. Links to the stream and stats can be found on the women's basketball schedule page. All GPAC conference games can also be listened to on the radio on KSOU (93.9 FM), courtesy of Sioux County Radio with Doug Broek on the call.

Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athetics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut

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Players Mentioned

#12 Emilee Danner: G; 5' 10"; Senior

#4 Maddie Jones: G; 5' 5"; Graduate Student

#34 Molly Schany: F; 6' 1"; Senior

#20 Kaydin Davis: G; 5' 7"; Senior

#5 Akaysa Duitscher: G; 5' 6"; Freshman

#32 Emily TerWee: F; 6' 0"; Freshman

#23 Jenna Kluxdal: F; 6' 1"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#12 Emilee Danner
: 5' 10"; Senior
: G

#4 Maddie Jones
: 5' 5"; Graduate Student
: G

#34 Molly Schany
: 6' 1"; Senior
: F

#20 Kaydin Davis
: 5' 7"; Senior
: G

#5 Akaysa Duitscher
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: G

#32 Emily TerWee
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: F

#23 Jenna Kluxdal
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: F