Great Lakes Wire

The Northern Michigan University women's basketball team has been predicted to finish third in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) according to the preseason poll released on Wednesday. The team, which reached the NCAA Tournament and Round of 32 last season, is led by head coach Casey Thousand. Junior Jacy Weisbrod has been named to the Preseason Second Team.

In the GLIAC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll, Grand Valley State topped the list with 100 points and ten first-place votes, followed by Ferris State with 83 points and one first-place vote. Northern Michigan secured 75 points to claim third place.

Under Thousand's leadership, NMU achieved a record of 37-23 over two seasons, including a 22-10 record last season. The Wildcats made it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019 and advanced to the Round of 32 after defeating Kentucky Wesleyan. Last year, they also reached the conference title game after finishing third in regular-season play.

Jordan Sweeney will serve as Associate Head Coach for a second consecutive season alongside Thousand. The team faces challenges this year with the departure of key players Makaylee Kuhn and Ana Rhude. Kuhn was a four-time All-GLIAC First Teamer and NMU's all-time leading scorer with 2,005 points.

Jacy Weisbrod is expected to be a primary scoring threat this season after being selected for the GLIAC Preseason Second Team. She averaged 12.7 points per game last season and led the conference in three-point shooting with a success rate of 42.4%.

The Wildcats return several experienced guards: CJ Romero, Mackenzie Holzwart, Sarah Newcomer, and Kayla Tierney. In addition to returning players in the frontcourt like Abi Fraaza and Alyssa Nimz, NMU has added Bemidji State transfer Alyssa Hill.

This year's roster includes six freshmen: Sydney Whitehouse, Addison Pytleski, Megan Marta, Madison Schroeder, Jordyn Schmittdiel, and Ava Bates.

The Wildcats will play their home games at Vandament Arena following renovations that expanded seating capacity to about 1,500 spectators and updated facilities.

Northern Michigan will begin its regular season on November 8-9 at the JustAgame Crossover event in Wisconsin Dells. An exhibition match against UW-Stevens Point is scheduled for November 3 when Lisa Jamula Maki's #40 jersey will be retired.