FARMINGTON, Utah — Big Sky coaches and media agreed on their assessment of the Portland State women's basketball team as both groups picked the Vikings to finish fifth in the conference this season in their respective preseason polls released Wednesday.
 
The prediction would mean a two-spot improvement for the Vikings after they placed seventh in the conference last season. They went on to make the semifinals of the Big Sky tournament after the regular season, the farthest they've advanced in the tournament since 2019.
 
Four starters and nine letterwinners return from last season. That's a group that includes leading scorer and All-Big Sky second-team selection Esmeralda Morales, as well as two-year starters Alaya Fitzgerald and Rhema Ogele. Cinco McCartney also returns after starting 30 of 31 games in her first year with the Vikings last season.
 
The Vikings also brought in six newcomers between freshmen Joy Haltom, Ella Kaleta, Alma Rashelbach and Laynee Torres-Kahapea, and transfers Lana Wenger (Texas Tech) and Chimera Iloanya (Trinity Valley CC/Tennessee State).
 
Eastern Washington and Northern Arizona – two teams who returned the bulk of their players – split the honor of preseason favorites from Big Sky coaches and media. The coaches picked Eastern Washington to win, with the Eagles edging the Lumberjacks by one point, 74-73, while earning six of 10 first-place votes. Northern Arizona edged Eastern Washington in the media poll, as the 'Jacks finished with 259 points to the Eagles' 255. Both teams received 12 first-place votes in the media poll.
 
Montana and Montana State finished third and fourth, respectively, in both polls, with Portland State behind them at fifth.
 
The bottom half of the coaches poll featured Northern Colorado at sixth, Idaho State at seventh, Idaho at eighth, Sacramento State at ninth and Weber State at 10th.
 
The media picked Sacramento State sixth, Idaho seventh, Idaho State eighth, Northern Colorado ninth and Weber State 10th.
 
The Vikings open their season on the road as they'll play at UC Davis on Nov. 9 and at San Diego on Nov. 11. The Vikings return to Viking Pavilion for their home opener on Nov. 14 when they host Warner Pacific at 6 p.m.
 
Big Sky play opens on Dec. 28 when the Vikings will host one of the preseason favorites, Eastern Washington, at 6 p.m. at Viking Pavilion.
 

2023-24 Big Sky Coaches Poll
Rank	Team (First-Place Votes)	Points
1	Eastern Washington (6)	74
2	Northern Arizona (3)	73
3	Montana (1)	69
4	Montana State	59
5	Portland State	45
6	Northern Colorado	36
7	Idaho State	32
8	Idaho	25
9	Sacramento State	24
10	Weber State	13

 

2023-24 Big Sky Media Poll
Rank	Team (First-Place Votes)	Points
1	Northern Arizona (12)	259
2	Eastern Washington (12)	255
3	Montana (2)	217
4	Montana State (3)	209
5	Portland State	169
6	Sacramento State (2)	149
7	Idaho	104
8	Idaho State	99
9	Northern Colorado	92
10	Weber State	42