BURNSVILLE, Minn. -- The Augustana women's basketball team has been selected to finish fourth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll the league office announced Thursday. The Vikings finished 22-11 overall and 13-9 in conference play last season. MSU Moorhead is picked to finish first after receiving nine first-place votes and 217 overall points.

Augustana is picked to finish second in the South Division after amassing 39 points which is 10 points behind first-place Sioux Falls. 

The Augustana women's basketball team enters the 2019-20 season with all but three seniors from last year's team that went 22-11 and 13-9 in conference action. David Krauth returns for his 31st season at the helm of the Vikings and has a 628-269 record at Augustana. The Vikings welcome in three freshmen and four redshirt-freshmen into the mix this season.

The Vikings return four players that started at least 15 games or more last season in Vishe' Rabb, Abby Hora, Hana Metoxen and Janelle Shiffler. 

Rabb is the reigning NSIC Freshman of the Year and Augie's NSIC Player to Watch this season after averaging 10.7 points per game and 1.45 steals per game. The Springfield, Minnesota, native shot at a 46-percent clip and 33 percent from deep. 

Metoxen also returns after being named to the NSIC All-Defensive team last season. The Apple Valley, Minnesota, native grabbed 39 steals to lead the Vikings defense. On the other side of the ball, the senior averaged 6 points and 4.2 boards a game. 

As a team, Augustana averaged 74.5 points per contest while shooting 41 percent from the field and 32 percent from beyond the arc. The Vikings grabbed 41 boards per game while also dishing out 15.2 assists per game.

The Vikings will play a tune-up game on Nov. 4 against Minnesota-Morris at 7 p.m. inside the Elmen Center. Augustana opens up its regular season on the road against Truman State on Nov. 16 at 11 a.m. The Vikings will then open up conference play on the road against Wayne State on Nov. 30 in Wayne, Nebraska. On Dec. 6, the Vikings will hit Heritage Court and the Sanford Pentagon for the first time for the conference home opener against Winona State. The Vikings will close out the regular season with a matchup on the road against Southwest Minnesota State on Feb. 22.

Fans are also encouraged to support Augustana Athletics by joining the A-Club, helping to build champions in the classroom, in competition, and in the community. For more information on the A-Club and priority seating benefits for members, visit GoAugie.com/Aclub.

Season and single-game tickets are now on sale and can be purchased at GoAugie.com/tickets.  

NSIC Women's Basketball
The regular-season champion will be based on the 22-game NSIC schedule. Each team will play teams in their division twice (14) and teams in the other division once (8). An NSIC North and South Division Champion will also be awarded. Divisional standings will also be based on all 22 NSIC contests played. In the case of a tie, co-champions will be awarded. The 16-team NSIC / Sanford Health Women's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Championships are set to take place March 1-3 at the Sanford Health Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. First-round games will be played on the campus of the top eight seeds on Wednesday, Feb. 26.
 

Full Standings	Points
1. MSU Moorhead (9)	217
2. Sioux Falls (6)	214
3. Minnesota Duluth (1)	194
4. Augustana	169
5. Minnesota State	156
6. St. Cloud State	155
7. UMary	140
8. Winona State	125
9. Southwest Minnesota State	107
10. Concordia-St. Paul	104
11. Wayne State College	103
12. Northern State	82
13. Bemidji State	49
14. Minnesota Crookston	48
15. Minot State	40
16. Upper Iowa	17