North Dakota's men team was picked to finished ninth and the women's team was picked 10th in a vote of Big Sky Conference head coaches.
Defending conference champion Northern Arizona was a near-unanimous selection atop the men's poll, receiving nine of 11 first-place votes and 119 points. Montana State received the other two first-place votes and was ranked second with 97 points. UND received 25 points.
On the women's side, Weber State was tabbed the preseason favorite by a single point. Weber State received five first-place votes and 114 points, while second-place Sacramento State was right behind with 113 points despite receiving six first-place votes. UND garnered 22 points.
Voting is calculated by each team receiving 11 points for a first-place vote, 10 points for a second-place vote, etc. Coaches were allowed to vote for their respective teams. Below are the final results with the number of first-place votes in parenthesis.
UND will enter its first season of Big Sky competition under the direction of second-year head coach Kevin Galbraith. Last season, his first at UND, Galbraith guided the women's team to second-place finishes at both the Great West Conference (GWC) Indoor and Outdoor Championships, and the men's team to third-place finishes at both.
MEN'S POLL
Team, Points (1st votes)
1. Northern Arizona 119 (9)
2. Montana State 97 (2)
3. Sacramento State 93
4. Weber State 88
5. Eastern Washington 78
6. Southern Utah 65
7. Idaho State 64
8. Montana 53
9. North Dakota 25
10. Northern Colorado 24
11. Portland State 20
WOMEN'S POLL
Team, Points (1st votes)
1. Weber State 114 (5)
2. Sacramento State 113 (6)
3. Northern Arizona 85
4. Portland State 75
5. Southern Utah 72
6. Montana 65
7. Montana State 65
8. Idaho State 55
9. Eastern Washington 39
10. North Dakota 22
11. Northern Colorado 21
