BURNSVILLE, Minn. - The Augustana women's basketball team was picked to finish third by the coaches in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference preseason poll released Wednesday. The Vikings were also picked to finish second in the South Division.

Augustana earned 195 points in the overall standings including four first-place votes. In the South Division poll, the Vikings earned 40 points, including two first-place votes.

The favorite to win the NSIC, and the South Division, this season in Winona State. The Warriors earned seven first-place votes in the overall standings and three in the south standings. Northern State was picked to finish second overall with three first-place votes. The final two first-place votes went to Minnesota State who was picked to finish in sixth-place.

NSIC coaches rank each team from 1 to 15 with a first place vote receiving 15 points, second-place 14, third place 13, etc. Coaches do not rank their own team or vote for their own players.

Logan O'Farrell was tabbed as Augustana's "Player to Watch" by the NSIC. O'Farrell is a 5-11 junior guard from Summit, S.D. Last season O'Farrell won the NSIC Defensive Player of the Year award after leading the conference in steals with 73 and finishing 12th in blocked shots with 39. She average 1.2 blocked shots per game. O'Farrell also landed on the All-NSIC Defensive Team.

Jill Conrad of Northern State was selected as the North Preseason Player of the Year. Conrad was a second team all-conference selection last season after leading the Wolves in scoring, three-point percentage and free throw percentage. Paige Ballinger of Wayne State was named the South's Preseason Player of the Year after earning first team all-conference honors and average 15 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.

Augustana will open its season in Anaheim, California, in the Disney Tip-Off Classic. The Vikings will play three games in the classic. Their first game will be Nov. 4 and 6 p.m. against Colorado School of Mines.