NEW ULM, Minn. - The Martin Luther College women's basketball team was picked to finish eighth in the UMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll released by the conference on Thursday.

The Knights finished the poll with 15 points, three ahead of Crown (12) and four behind Northland (19). Bethany Lutheran (60 total points, five first-place votes) was picked to win the conference, followed by UW-Superior (57 points, two first-place votes) and Minnesota Morris (52 points, two first-place votes).

MLC is coming off a tough 2018-19 season in which it tied for seventh place in the final UMAC standings with a 2-14 league record. 

This season, leading scorer Emily Witkowski returns along with four other veterans to lead the team. Witkowski averaged 13.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore, and scored at least 20 points on five separate occasions during conference play. 

Junior Kati Aguilar and sophomores Cassandra Rose, Samantha Paul and Halley Engelbrecht return in the front court. Aguilar was second among returning players with averages of 4.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game last season. 

In the back court, the Knights will be looking for contributions from a big, talented group of newcomers. 

You can read the full preseason release from the UMAC if you click here.

MLC will open its season on Friday, November 8, at Carleton.