BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) released the 2026 Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll on Friday afternoon, and Winona State was voted to finish sixth overall and fourth in the NSIC South. Senior guard Luke Haertle was selected as the Warriors player to watch for the 2026-27 season.
 
WSU went 9-19 overall and 8-14 in NSIC play during the 2025-26 season, finishing 13th overall and eighth in the NSIC South. Winona State received 144 points overall and 28 points in the NSIC South voting for the 2026-27 season.
 
Haertle, a senior from Hartland, Wis., returns to the Warriors after a year away from the team. In the 2024-25 season, Haertle averaged 17.2 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game, and 3.5 assists per game on 35 minutes per game. In 2024-25, Haertle earned an NSIC All-Conference first team honor while also being named the NSIC Newcomer of the Year.
 
Head Coach Todd Eisner had this to say about Haertle, "Excited to have Luke back in our program. Had an outstanding '24-'25 season for usand we are hopeful that he will bring the same level of toughness, competitiveness and production to our team that he did his first year."
 
Winona State head coach Tood Eisner will be entering his 12^th season at the helm. When asked about the upcoming season, Eisner responded, "The positive from a tough season last year was with all the injuries on our team, we played a lot of younger players who gained valuable experience. When Gavyn Hurley was healthy, we started three sophomores and two freshmen. I am excited to see those players' growth in this season, while adding  Luke to the mix and getting back a couple players who missed last season due to injury."
 
The Warriors will open their season in Honolulu, Hawaii in the Hoops in Hawaii Classic Oct. 30 through Nov. 1.