October 20, 2025
MADISON, S.D. – Dakota State (S.D.) was tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the 2025-26 Frontier Conference Women's Basketball title, the coaches' preseason poll was announced Monday morning by the conference office.
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. The Frontier Conference has expanded to 12 full-time institutions this year. First place is worth 11 points, second place is worth 10 points, third place is worth nine points, and so on to the last place with one point.
The Trojans, who won their fifth straight North Star Athletic Association regular season title last season and advanced to the second round of the NAIA National Tournament, completed their 2024-25 season with an overall record of 25-5.
Dakota State collected 11 first place votes and 121 points to capture the top spot in the preseason coaches' poll.
Caroll (Mont.) and Rocky Mountain (Mont.) earned a tie for second place in the conference preseason poll, with each recording 101 points in the poll. The Battlin' Bears won the Frontier Conference regular season title last season.
Providence (Mont.), who captured the conference postseason tournament title in 2025, placed fourth in the preseason poll after tallying 91 points. Montana Tech picked up the final first place vote and recorded 81 points to finish fifth.
The top five teams in the Frontier Conference Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Poll advanced to the NAIA national tournament last season.
Bellevue (Neb.) was sixth in the poll with 68 points, followed by Montana State-Northern seventh. The Skylights edged Valley City State (N.D.) by three points (58-55). Mayville State (N.D.0 was ninth with 37 points, followed by Dickinson State (N.D.) 10
th with 35 points, Montana Western 11
th with 32 points, and Bismarck State (N.D.) 12
th with 12 points.
The 2025-26 NAIA Women's Basketball season officially kicks off Thursday. Dakota State opens their season at the Madison High School in the Education Kickoff Classic versus Minnesota-Morris, tipping off at 1 p.m.
Each Frontier Conference school will play a total of 22 conference games on their 2025-26 schedule, playing home-and-away contests. They are scheduled to play 11 home league games and 11 road conference contests.
DSU opens their 22 Frontier Conference slate on Saturday, Nov. 15 at Bellevue (Neb.), followed by home contests versus Providence on Nov. 21 and MSU-Northern on Nov. 22.
The top eight teams in the Frontier Conference standings will advance to the postseason tournament, hosted by Montana Tech at Civic Center in Butte. The four-day conference tournament begins with a pair of quarterfinals on Feb. 27 (Friday) and Feb. 28 (Saturday), followed by the semifinals on March 1 (Sunday). Those games are scheduled for 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. (Mountain Time).
The Frontier Conference tournament's championship game is slated for Monday, March 2 at 5 p.m. (MT).
The league will have two automatic bids for the NAIA Women's Basketball National Tournament, starting with the First and Second Rounds on March 13-14, 2026. The opening round winners advance to the final site at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa, on March 19-24, 2026.
The first automatic berth will be awarded to the regular-season champion. The second berth will be awarded to the Frontier Conference Postseason Tournament Champion. In the event the regular season champion is the tournament champion, then the second berth will be awarded to the regular-season runner-up.
Below is the complete 2025-26 Frontier Conference Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Poll:
| 2025-26 Frontier Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| Rank |
School (First Place Votes) |
Total Points |
| 1 |
Dakota State (S.D.) (11) |
121 |
| T2 |
Carroll (Mont.) |
101 |
| T2 |
Rocky Mountain (Mont.) |
101 |
| 4 |
Providence (Mont.) |
91 |
| 5 |
Montana Tech (1) |
81 |
| 6 |
Bellevue (Neb.) |
68 |
| 7 |
Montana State-Northern |
58 |
| 8 |
Valley City State (N.D.) |
55 |
| 9 |
Mayville State (N.D.) |
37 |
| 10 |
Dickinson State (N.D.) |
35 |
| 11 |
Montana Western |
32 |
| 12 |
Bismarck State (N.D.) |
12 |
