WHITEFISH, Mont. – The University of Providence women's basketball team was picked to finish 2^nd in the Frontier Conference preseason poll that was released early Monday morning.

Providence finished with 22 points, trailing Carroll College by two. The Argos received one first-place vote, while the Fighting Saints received three.

"We're thrilled with where we're at," head coach Bill Himmelberg said. ""Carroll is really good. They have a lot of returning firepower. There's a lot of good teams in our league. We're fortunate that we are where we're at."

Montana State –Northern and Rocky Mountain tied for third with 14 points. Montana Western was voted 5^th place with 10 points, while Montana Tech received 6 points.

"Any one of those teams could finish first or second," Himmelberg said. "That's how good our league is. We're really that good top to bottom. Just because we're picked higher doesn't mean we're going to get second. We have to prepare every night like it' a battle because every night is going to be a battle. There's no easy wins on our schedule."

Providence concluded last year's regular season with a 21-12 record. They finished 9-9 in the conference, earning them a 5-seed in the conference tournament. The team preceded to go on a historic postseason run, winning three road games en route to winning the Frontier Conference Tournament. The team was awarded a 6-seed in the NAIA National Tournament before the remainder of the season was canceled due to COVID 19.

The 2020-21 schedule was released last week. The Argos will play a 20-game conference schedule, beginning with a Jan. 4 trip to Butte to face off against Montana Tech.

"It all comes down to what we do on the floor and how well we play together," Himmelberg said. "You prove yourself on the court, not on the polls. We have to go out and be prepared every night, because any team can beat any team in the Frontier on any given night."

For the full preseason poll, click here.