BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Coming off a historic run all the way to the national championship game, the Western Washington University women's basketball team will open the 2022-23 as the top team in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.
The Vikings received eight of the 10 first-place votes and 98 total points to headline the annual preseason poll determined by the conference's 10 coaches.
Alaska Anchorage (84 points) and Montana State Billings (81 points) are picked second and third in the conference with each receiving one first-place vote. Central Washington is predicted to finish fourth (67 points) followed by Simon Fraser (59 points), Northwest Nazarene (55 points), Seattle Pacific (42 points), Saint Martin's (27 points), Western Oregon (22 points) and Western Oregon (15 points).
Led by 32nd-year head coach
Carmen Dolfo, Western Washington put together a stellar 2021-22 season, racking up 25 wins, a GNAC regular-season championship, a West Region title and a run to the Division II championship game. The Vikings started and ended their season on strong notes. They went on a 10-game winning streak to tear through the opening portion of their schedule and closed out the regular season by winning eight of their last 10 contests.
The Vikings defense led the conference last season, limiting opponents to a GNAC-best .348 field goal percentage that ranked 15th in Division II and a .243 three-point percentage that ranked fourth in Division II. They were tough on the boards as well, leading the conference by outrebounding opponents by an average of 8.2 per game and ranking 24th in Division II with 1,257 total rebounds.
WWU has every chance to build off its highly successful 2021-22 campaign this season, returning a handful of starters and 10 total players from last season's roster. The Vikings are led by Honorable Mention All-GNAC player
Brooke Walling who returns after being named to the NCAA Elite Eight All-Tournament Team and the NCAA West Regional Tournament MVP. Walling averaged 10.8 points and led the team with 7.8 rebounds per game, but is looking to build off a dominating postseason where she averaged 18.7 points and 9.5 rebounds in six NCAA Tournament games.
Additional standout returners include 2021-22 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and Second Team All-GNAC guard
Avery Dykstra, sophomore guard 2021-22 GNAC Freshman of the Year
Riley Dykstra and senior guard
Mollie Olson (honorable mention All-GNAC in 2021-22).
WWU opens the preseason on Friday, November 4 with an exhibition game at Gonzaga University in Spokane and officially takes the court for the regular-season opener hosting the West Region Crossover Classic November 18-19 on WECU Court in Carver Gym. The complete 2022-23 WWU women's basketball schedule can be viewed online at
WWUVikings.com/22-23_WBB.
2022-23 GNAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Here is the complete listing of the 2022-23 GNAC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches poll and the voting breakdown:
| 2022-23 GNAC PRESEASON WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACHES POLL |
| Rk |
Team (1st Place Votes) |
2021-22 |
GNAC (Place) |
Pts. |
| 1. |
Western Washington (8) |
25-6 |
10-4 (1st) |
98 |
| 2. |
Alaska Anchorage (1) |
20-7 |
12-4 (2nd) |
84 |
| 3. |
Montana St. Billings (1) |
17-12 |
10-5 (5th) |
81 |
| 4. |
Central Washington |
24-8 |
13-5 (3rd) |
67 |
| 5. |
Simon Fraser |
12-14 |
8-8 (6th) |
59 |
| 6. |
Northwest Nazarene |
18-10 |
12-6 (4th) |
55 |
| 7. |
Seattle Pacific |
12-18 |
7-11 (7th) |
42 |
| 8. |
Saint Martin's |
13-14 |
4-12 (9th) |
27 |
| 9. |
Western Oregon |
9-17 |
5-13 (8th) |
22 |
| 10. |
Alaska Fairbanks |
3-20 |
2-15 (10th) |
15 |
| Votes awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis |
SEASON TICKETS ON SALE
Fans wishing to purchase season tickets for the 2022-23 season can call the WWU Box Office at (360) 650-6103 to reserve their seats for the upcoming season.
ABOUT WWU BASKETBALL
One of the premier basketball programs in NCAA Division II, recording a 20-win season in nine of the last 13 full seasons, and 36 times in the 51-year history of the program. WWU has 22 seasons of 20 or more wins under head coach
Carmen Dolfo, who is the winningest coach of any sport at WWU and ranks among Division II active and all-time coaching leaders in wins with 643, winning percentage and 20-win seasons. The Vikings have reached the NCAA II Tournament in 18 of 23 possible seasons at the Division II level with three trips to the Elite Eight (including 2022) and played in the 2022 national championship game. The program has 1,075 all-time wins in the 51-year history of the program, and according to available records, is one of less than 20 women's college basketball team across all divisions and levels to reach the 1,000-victory milestone.
