LILBURN, Ga. — The Michigan Tech women’s basketball team is ranked No. 21 in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association NCAA Division II Preseason Top 25 Poll, announced Tuesday by the national office. The Huskies are one of two GLIAC teams who are in the preseason poll, with defending national champion Ashland University ranked No. 1.

Michigan Tech is picked to finish first in the GLIAC North Division in the 2017 GLIAC Basketball Preseason Poll, announced last week by the conference office. The Huskies earned 58 points with four first-place votes. Grand Valley State is a close second in the North Division with 57 points and an identical total of four-first place votes. Northern Michigan rounds out the top three in the North Division with 52 points and four-first place votes.

The Huskies finished the 2016-17 campaign with an overall record of 20-8 and were 15-6 against GLIAC opponents, finishing third in the North Division standings. Michigan Tech advanced to the GLIAC Final Four last season before falling to Ashland in the semifinals. The Huskies return a wealth of talent and experience off of last year’s team. Four of the five starters are back with all four players averaging 10 points per game or more a year ago.

The Huskies tip-off the 2017-18 season at NCAA Division I Wisconsin-Green Bay in an exhibition game Thursday Nov. 2nd followed by the regular season opener against Davis & Elkins on Nov. 10 in the Pepper Pike, Ohio.