The reigning American Rivers Conference champion Simpson College women’s basketball team was selected to finish third, while the Storm men’s squad was picked to finish in seventh in the preseason coaches poll.

The Storm women are coming off of back-to-back conference championships and haven’t lost a conference game since 2020, however they will feel the loss of players who graduated including conference MVP Jenna Taylor and Cameron Kincaid among others. Simpson will lean on returning star Cassie Nash as well as fifth-year senior Anna Wanek to carry the offense.

The Storm men went 5-20 last in a season ravaged by illness and injuries in the competitive ARC, but do bring back several stalwarts in Chris Honz and Andrew Curran, who have both been selected to the All-Conference squads.

Both teams begin conference play on November 22nd.