AMES, Iowa – The Winona State University women's basketball team will start their 2022-23 season on Wednesday, Nov. 2, traveling to NCAA Division I Iowa State University for an exhibition contest set to tip off at 6:30 p.m. in Ames.  Later this week, Winona State will welcome Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, as the Cardinals make the cross-town trek to take on the Warriors at 5:30pm on Saturday, Nov. 5.

At Iowa State, Winona State will open the Ana Wurtz era with the contest, as the long-time assistant and associate head coach was tabbed to take over the Warrior program this summer from the retiring Scott Ballard.
Wurtz is a familiar face to the Warrior faithful, a Winona State Athletics Hall of Fame guard who is in the WSU record books as one of the best long-distance shooters in program history.

Joining Wurtz on staff this year is Hannah McGlone, a former Warrior standout in her own right, who returns to Winona State from Milwaukee School of Engineering where she served as an assistant with MSOE last season. In addition to a standout playing career at WSU from 2014 to 2018, McGlone served as a graduate assistant under Wurtz and Ballard for two seasons.

The 2022-23 edition of Winona State women's basketball is a team looking to rebound from a 12-15 season last winter, a year in which the Warriors put together several stretches of strong runs, including a four-game winning streak to start the year.

The 2022-23 Winona State roster features a mix of veterans and new talent, with six players currently listed as juniors or older, as well as a group of ten players entering either their freshman or sophomore seasons.

Statistically, the top returners in terms of minutes played are Caitlin Riley and Mattie Schimenz at 694 and 712 minutes played, respectively. Riley was key from beyond the arc last season, leading the team with 58 three pointers, while Schimenz scored 199 points, the second-highest returner mark.

Alex Dornfeld will feature significantly under the basket at both ends of the floor this year, as the junior is the top returning rebounder for Winona State. Vanessa Alexander, Kaitlyn Schrimpf and Ava Sergio all return for Wurtz this winter and will be instrumental in filling the void left by graduating seniors Taylor Hustad and Emma Fee, the top two Warrior rebounders in 2021-22.  Two other experienced returners include senior guard Shea Dechant, who played in 14 games last year, and sophomore center Stephanie Dasbach. 

A veteran transfer stands as a possible X factor for Winona State in the 2022-23 campaign, as Lauren Fech, a former standout at MSU Moorhead, had a strong start to the year last winter but suffered a season-ending injury just seven games into the season. The dynamic floor general is ready to go this season and will be joined by several other guards on the Warrior roster, including returners Emma Carpenter, Lindsey Hahn, Naomi Breunig and Stephanie Dasbach.

First-year contributors for Wurtz and McGlone include four freshman; Emmaline Kilpatrick, Hailey Markworth, Paige Peaslee and Malia Nelson. All four first years will see their inaugural college contests this week, as Winona State stands ready to test themselves against Iowa State on the road and in a home exhibition matchup with cross-town rival Saint Mary's.

Both contests for Winona State this week will feature live stats only.  Ticket information for the WSU – ISU game is available at this link and fans looking to attend the Winona State - Saint Mary's match up can get ticket information by clicking here.  In-person ticket sales at McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court will open one hour before game time on Saturday.