BURNSVILLE, Minn. - The Winona State University women’s basketball team is set to start the 2023-24 campaign, led by senior Alex Dornfeld who has been named the Winona State Player to Watch in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).

The NSIC released the 2023-24 Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll and the Warriors were picked to finish 10th in the league.  The 2023-24 season will see the NSIC in a 15-team, single-division format rather than North and South Divisions as in previous years.  The NSIC regular season championship will be based on the 22-game schedule. Each team will play eight teams twice and another six teams once. An NSIC Champion will be awarded to the team with the highest win percentage in the 22 games played. 

Dornfeld returns for her senior season at Winona State following an impressive 2022-23 campaign in which she averaged 28 minutes per game for head coach Ana Wurtz. The Markesan, Wis. product averaged over 10 points per game and hauled in over eight rebounds per contest. Dornfeld's 10.6 ppg and 8.3 rpg are the top WSU returning numbers for the Warriors. 

Wurtz,  heading into her second full season at the helm, said, “Alex has worked incredibly hard to continually develop and improve her game. She has extended her range to where she is a consistent threat from the perimeter and has the ability to take her defender inside off the bounce and the mid post. She is also one of our most versatile defenders which is a result of her strong work ethic. Alex is an absolute joy to coach and someone our team will look to for leadership this season.”

Dornfeld is a part of a 2023-24 WSU roster that features significant playing experience for the Winona State coaching staff from last season. WSU also welcomes four new players to the Warrior roster. 

Mattie Schimenz and Ava Sergio both return in 2023-24, having been an important part of the WSU rotation last year. Schimenz played in 23 games for WSU, starting 17,  and is the leading returning offensive catalyst, dishing out 46 assists last season.  The junior from Milwaukee, Wis. will be a key part of the offensive rhythm for the Warriors. Ava Sergio, a junior from Geneva, Ill., was third on the team last season in rebounds per game (4.0) and tops in blocks (16). Sergio will be key in the Winona State post play in the always-tough NSIC schedule. 

Vanessa Alexander, Paige Peaslee and Stephanie Dasbach all are returners to the Winona State front court. Alexander leads the trio in minutes played (311) and rebounds (60) in 2022-23, while Peaslee grabbed 37 boards and Dasbach was a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor last year. Kaitlyn Schrimpf and Lindsay Hahn both eclipsed 40 rebounds on the year last winter, at 45 and 41 total rebounds, respectively. 

Another trio of players who can impact the Warriors' season are Naomi Breunig, Hailey Markworth and Emma Carpenter. Breunig hit from the floor at a 34.4% clip last season, while Markworth appeared in 25 contests, going 16-of-40 (40.0%) overall. Carpenter started 11 WSU contests and appeared in 26 total games, logging nearly 500 minutes on the season. Carpenter pulled in 30 rebounds and blocked six shots. 

Malia Nelson and Emmaline Kilpatrick both return to Winona State for their sophomore seasons, having each reached double-digits in appearances. Nelson appeared in 13 contests and Kilpatrick 11 last year. 

Four new faces join the Winona State women's basketball family for the 2023-23 season.

Olivia Gamoke and Vivica Bretton offer the Winona State faithful a pair of local talents on the Warrior roster, with Gamoke hailing from Onalaska, Wis. and Bretton coming to Winona from Rochester, Minn. Gamoke is a transfer from the University of Sioux Falls, starting 28 contests for the Cougars in 2022-23. Bretton is a former Lourdes High School standout and a key part of Wurtz's 2023 recruiting class. 

Also new to the team are Megan Schuman, a freshman from Brillion, Wis. and Sadie Jarmolowicz, a freshman from Freedom, Wis.  Both players hail from the greater Green Bay area, competing just 30 miles apart at the prep level before becoming teammates at Winona State under Wurtz and her staff. 

Wurtz and assistant coach Hannah McGlone welcome former Winona State standout Emily Kieck to the Warrior sideline this fall. 

Following an exhibition contest at NCAA Division I Drake University Nov. 1, Winona State will open up 2023-24 regular season on the road in St. Joseph, Mo., taking part in a pair of games. WSU will face Missouri Western State on Nov. 10 and Southeastern Oklahoma State on Nov. 11.  The Warriors will compete at two more Missouri schools - Truman State and Maryville University - before hosting Concordia St. Paul in the home and NSIC opener on Tuesday, Nov. 21. The Golden Bears and Warriors will tipoff at 7:30 p.m. in McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court.