MANHATTAN, Kansas – K-State women’s basketball will enter its 2023-24 season with high expectations, as the Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll has ranked the Wildcats in fourth-place in an announcement by the league office on Thursday.

This is the second time under the direction of head coach Jeff Mittie that K-State has been slated in fourth in the preseason coaches poll, joining the 2020-21 preseason poll.

The league’s coaches selected defending regular season co-champion Texas as the preseason favorite with 12 first-place votes and 168 total points. Baylor was second with two first-place votes and 148 points. Kansas was third with 138 points while K-State was in fourth with 133 points.

Behind the Wildcats in fifth was defending regular season co-champion Oklahoma with 121 points, defending Big 12 Tournament champions Iowa State in sixth with 107 points and Oklahoma State with 99 points in seventh. In eighth, ninth and tenth were West Virginia (80), TCU (77) and Texas Tech (63), respectively.

The four Big 12 newcomers were slotted in the final four spots with BYU (56) in 11th, Houston (45) in 12th, Cincinnati (22) in 13th and UCF (18) in 14th.

The Wildcats will be led into the 2023-24 season by 2023-24 Preseason All-Big 12 selections Gabby Gregory and Ayoka Lee and Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention recipient Serena Sundell. K-State will also be bolstered by the return of juniors Brylee Glenn and Jaelyn Glenn.

The 10 returning letter winners returning for the upcoming season were responsible for 84 percent of K-State’s scoring, 82 percent of the team’s assists, and 67 percent of the team’s rebounding in the 2022-23 season. The Wildcats will also welcome redshirt freshman transfers Imani Lester and Zyanna Walker, redshirt sophomore Gisela Sanchez, and freshmen Alexis Hess and Taryn Sides.

K-State women’s basketball season tickets for the 2023-24 season are available now for purchase. For more information on season ticket packages for the Wildcats’ home schedule, contact the K-State Athletics Ticket Office by calling 1-800-221-CATS or visit www.kstatesports.com/tickets.