Three returning starters headline the team in Mya Morris, Lydia Feidt and Ava Stein.

Morris, a junior, led the team in scoring last season with 14.7 points per game, along with 4.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game from her point guard position.

“She was First Team All-Conference last season,” MLC head coach Dan Gawrisch said. “She does a great job stretching the floor for us. She is a very efficient scorer and consistent outside shooter. She has great court vision, she hustles, just a great teammate and leader for us … I’m sure other teams will be looking to key in on her defensively.”

Feidt brings a well-rounded game back as a senior after posting 7.8 points per game last year, along with 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.3 assists. Feidt was third on the team in scoring, second in offensive rebounding, second in assists and second in blocks and steals, showing her value as an all-around asset.

File photo by Travis Rosenau From this Dec. 16, 2024, Journal file photo, Martin Luther College guard Mya Morris drives to the lane and looks to dish it off during a home game against Augsburg at MLC.

“She will be a four-year starter for us this year,” Gawrisch said. “She has great court presence. Her best gifts on the court are defensive gifts, but offensively her spacing and timing is always on point. She takes really smart shots, led us in field goal percentage last year. She just brings a confidence for us on the court.”

Finally, Stein brings a strong post presence after averaging 7.7 points and 5.2 rebounds as a freshman.

“She started just a couple of games last year for us but was also a very efficient inside scorer for us,” Gawrisch said. “She gets to the rim and finds her post-up opportunities on offense. Defensively, she’s a nice presence in the middle for us to match up with the other teams’ post players.”

The combination of Morris and Stein allows MLC to play with both an inside scoring threat and an outside one, helping to diversify the Knights’ offense.

The final two starting spots will depend on matchups and the hot hand, with juniors Anna Kieselhorst and Ella Walz and sophomore Wilhelmina Wenz looking to take the reins. Anna Kieselhorst, a strong and quick defender at the guard position, has the most experience after leading the team in bench minutes and is looking to boost her offensive numbers this season. Walz, another guard, has some starting experience and a high basketball IQ who moves the ball well while having strong flexibility defensively, and Wenz but in a lot of work over the offseason to improve her shot and looks to be a threat at multiple positions with her hustle and rebounding.

“I’m excited for some of our players who have been ready to start more games in previous seasons but have been stuck behind some consistent experienced players that we graduated last year,” Gawrisch said. “They’ll be getting an opportunity and a little bit of a rotation in who is starting in those other two positions beside Mya, Lydia and Ava.”

MLC graduated three of the top five players in minutes from last season in Emma Dorn, Lauren Paulson and Grace Kieselhorst, and the Knights will be looking to build chemistry with the new lineups. Rebounding will also be a focus, as all three graduates were strong in that skill, especially Dorn, who is the Knights all-time leading rebounder.

“We have an opportunity for some new players to step up and fill roles,” Gawrisch said. “There may be a little bit of a learning curve at the beginning of the season as they learn what it takes to begin the game with confidence and composure. I’m excited for us to take that step and how we handle that.”

This season, MLC is looking to play fast with plenty of options to score the ball.

“We should be able to score in multiple ways,” Gawrisch said. “If they’re packing the paint and taking away the paint, we have no problem stretching the offense and knocking down shots from the outside. At the same time, if we’re stretching the defense, we’re going to look to drive and look for cut lanes and get the ball into the post and work the paint a little more, we can score that way too. Offensively, I think we are dynamic and versatile.

“Defensively, we maybe aren’t as long as we were last year, but I think we’re just as strong and maybe even a little quicker. I think that might allow us to get up and press and apply full-court pressure more and pressure the ball handler in the half court. To rotate and switch defensively to dig out the pass lanes and get tipped passes and force turnovers or contested shots consistently.”

Gawrisch believes his team has what it takes to return to the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament in what should be a close conference. Gawrisch sees Minnesota Morris and University of Wisconsin — Superior as the top teams in the UMAC, but also thinks any team could beat another this year.

“I told my team this in practice,” Gawrisch said. “Once the conference season hits, I really would not be surprised on any given night if any team beat a different team. It really is about who can continue to improve over the course of the season and can show up to the conference tournament with energy, as well as staying healthy. That’s going to show who can put themselves in position to win the conference this year.”