St. Scholastica has won 15 of the last 16 UMAC titles and the conference coaches expect the Saints to continue that history this fall.
With a returning core of talent, the Saints were chosen to remain atop the league in the preseason poll announced Thursday.
St. Scholastica had seven first-place votes to finish with 61 points in the poll, while Wisconsin-Superior was third behind Minnesota-Morris.
Saints senior Casey Hovland is a two-time UMAC champion who also earned All-America status. Nicole Gilman and Kelsey Dickinson also return.
UWS, led by junior Kello Praska, could be a contender to knock off the Saints. Praska was sixth last season and runner-up as a rookie, earning back-to-back All-UMAC finishes.
