HUDSONVILLE, Mich. – The Trine University women's basketball team has been named the preseason favorite to win the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) title according to the MIAA coaches poll.
The Thunder received all eight available first-place votes from their sideline counterparts with each coach not able to vote for their own program. Behind Trine in the poll was Hope College, who took home the final first-place vote and had 18 points in total. In third place was Albion College at 20 points while Calvin University and Alma College tied for fourth at 32 points each.
Last season, the Thunder and Flying Dutch tied for the top spot in the league standings with matching 14-2 records in conference play. Trine received the number two seed in the MIAA Tournament due to losing the tiebreaker and competed against Hope in the MIAA Tournament Finals.
Overall, the Thunder held a record of 23-7 in 2023-24 and made their second straight NCAA Division III Tournament appearance. Trine defeated Washington University (Missouri) 79-69 and Loras College 60-54 at the season-end tournament before dropping an NCAA Sectional Semifinal game to New York University by a score of 66-49.
Junior guard Sidney Wagner was named to the D3hoops.com Preseason All-American Second Team after being named Third Team All-American one season ago. Wagner was also the MIAA MVP, just the second in program history. Wagner led the conference by averaging 17.0 points per game in the MIAA season and was also ranked in the top five in the MIAA with 107 field goals, a .566 field-goal percentage, a .431 three-point field-goal percentage, and 35 steals.
The Thunder enter the year ranked in multiple preseason polls. In the D3hoops.com Top 25, Trine is ranked #17 after ending 2022-23 in 14th. The Thunder are also ranked 13th in the WBCA Preseason Coaches Poll heading into the 2023-24 campaign.
Along with Wagner, who made starts in 20 of the team's 30 games, junior guard Katie Tate started 26 games and also returns to this year's club. Tate averaged 6.1 points per game and shot 42.0% from the field. Other returning contributors from 2022-23 include junior guard Sierra Hinds, sophomore guard Jada Rhonehouse, sophomore guard Addison Hutson, sophomore forward Erin Sherwood and sophomore forward Abby Sanner.
The lone senior on Head Coach Andy Rang's team is Chelsi Giesige. She missed all of the 2022-23 season due to injury, but looks to return to the court this year. Surrounding her on the court are five juniors, eight sophomores and five freshmen. The team's first contest comes on Wednesday, November 15 at 7 p.m. when Baldwin Wallace University visits the MTI Center.
