BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston tennis program was selected to finish 12^th in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll released Thursday, February 2 by the conference office.

Augustana University was picked to finish first with 11 first-place votes and 121 points. Minnesota State University picked up one first-place vote and had 103 points. Augustana's Florentia Hadjigeorgiou was named as the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year.

"I am excited about our depth this year," said Head Coach Josh Lunak. "We return all seven players from last year and also have added two transfer players. It's a fun group of girls with great team chemistry. They love competing and it's very enjoyable to coach."

Minnesota Crookston seeks to improve upon their 2-12 (0-10 NSIC) mark. The Golden Eagles showed vast gains as a team in 2022, picking up their first wins as a team since 2014. Minnesota Crookston is led by Madeleine Schneider (Jr., Gartringen, Germany), who tied Catherine Brown for the most singles wins in a single season. Schneider went 7-7 at the No. 1 slot. Michelle Swyter (Sr., Perham, Minn.) returns after posting a 2-12 record at No. 2 singles. Sarah Velasquez (Sr., Chino, Calif.) comes back to the fold for the Golden Eagles after going 2-12 at the No. 3 singles slot. At No. 4 singles, Tasha Achermann (Sr., Motley, Minn.) went 3-11 in 2022. Samantha Gutierrez (Jr., Riverside, Calif.) returns after posting a 1-11 record at the No. 5 slot. Ashley Chomyn (Sr., Winnipeg, Manitoba) was second on the team in singles wins in 2022. She went 6-2 at No. 6 singles. Kaydance Hinn (So., Coon Rapids, Minn.) is back after going 1-1 at No. 5 and 0-6 at No. 6 singles.

Schneider was picked as the NSIC Player to Watch from UMN Crookston. "Madeleine will play our top spot again this year," Lunak stated. "She is a fierce competitor with a very strong work ethic. She is a great teammate and also excels in the classroom with a 4.0 GPA."

UMN Crookston officially lifts the lid on the season Thursday, February 2 at 5 p.m. against Bemidji State University.