STORM LAKE, Iowa (Oct. 22, 2025) - The American Rivers Conference announced its 2025-26 Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll on Wednesday afternoon, and Buena Vista was picked to finish sixth in the poll with 26 total points.
The Beavers, under second-year head coach
Kylee Boettcher, are coming off an 8-17 season overall last season, including a 3-13 mark in conference play. The eight wins a season ago were the most since the 2017-18 campaign while the three A-R-C victories were the most over the last three seasons.
Boettcher will return all five starters from a year ago, including sophomore
Bradi Krager who was a Second Team All-Conference selection following her inaugural collegiate season. Among the remaining starters set to return are seniors
Danika Demers,
Madalynn Hilgendorf, fifth-year senior
McKenna Cone and sophomore
Tyme Boettcher.
"We are excited to bring everyone back along with the new additions to our team," said Boettcher. "We are looking forward to another competitive year!"
BVUÂ will be among those teams chasing preseason favorite Coe College which earned the maximum eight first-place votes (coaches cannot vote for their own team) and totaled 64 points. Defending champion, Wartburg College, landed the final first-place vote and was picked second with 54 total points. Luther College came in third with 49 points.
| Place |
Team (first-place votes) |
Points |
| 1. |
Coe College (8) |
64 |
| 2. |
Wartburg College (1) |
54 |
| 3. |
Luther College |
49 |
| 4. |
Simpson College |
46 |
| 5. |
Central College |
30 |
| 6. |
Buena Vista Univ. |
26 |
| 7. |
Univ. of Dubuque |
24 |
| 8. |
Loras College |
23 |
| 9. |
Neb. Wesleyan Univ. |
8 |
Buena Vista tips-off its 2025-26 campaign on Nov. 7-8, hosting the first annual Central Bank Tournament. The team takes on Benedictine (Ill.) on Friday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. in the final game of the opening night. The consolation and championship games are the following afternoon at 2 p.m. / 4 p.m. Following an exhibition game at the University of South Dakota on Nov. 10, the regular season schedule continues on Friday, Nov. 14, at Macalester College with tip-off at 5:30 p.m.
The Beavers begin their 16-game American Rivers Conference schedule on Wednesday, Dec. 3, hosting Coe College at 5 :30 p.m. Later that week, it travels to Central College on Saturday, Dec. 6 for a 2 p.m. match-up. The final conference outing before the end of the calendar year is on Saturday, Dec. 13, at home versus Simpson College at 2 p.m.
The full 2025-26 BVU Women's Basketball schedule can be found
HERE.
