Colorado State women’s basketball player named Mountain West’s best in preseason

Colorado State is projected to have the top player and the top freshman in Mountain West women’s basketball this season.

The conference’s preseason polls were released Wednesday.

CSU’s Emma Ronsiek was named the preseason co-Player of the Year (sharing the honor with Wyoming’s Allyson Fertig). Kloe Froebe was named the preseason Freshman of the Year.

Ronsiek, who was also named the MW’s Newcomer of the Year, was First-Team All-Big East in 2023-24 as she helped Creighton earn a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where the Bluejays advanced to the second round. She was a starter on Creighton’s Elite Eight team in 2021-22. Creighton made the NCAA Tournament each of the last three seasons with Ronsiek playing a key role in each.

The 6-foot-1 Ronsiek averaged 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists last season.

Froebe was the 2024 Gatorade Illinois Girls Basketball Player of the Year and 2024 Illinois Miss Basketball as she averaged 28.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.2 steals and 4.8 assists as a senior.

Mountain West women’s basketball projected order of finish

Here’s the projected order of finish for Mountain West women’s basketball teams in the preseason poll (first-place votes in parentheses):

1. UNLV (21)

2. Wyoming (3)

3. Colorado State (4)

4. Boise State

5. San Diego State (2)

6. New Mexico

7. Nevada

8. Air Force

9. Fresno State

10. San Jose State

11. Utah State

Colorado State women’s basketball schedule

*Tip-offs listed in Mountain time

• Oct. 29: Home vs Regis (exhibition), 6:30 p.m.

• Nov. 4: Home vs San Francisco (regular season opener), 5:30 p.m.

• Nov. 8: Home vs Oregon State, 5:30 p.m.

• Nov. 13: At BYU, 11 a.m.

• Nov. 16: Home vs Columbia College, 1 p.m.

• Nov. 19: Home vs Southern, 6:30 p.m.

• Nov. 23: Home vs Northern Arizona, 6 p.m.

• Nov. 25: Home vs Black Hills State, 6:30 p.m.

• Nov. 29: Vs Kent State (in Puerto Rico), 12:30 p.m.

• Nov. 30: Vs Brown (in Puerto Rico), 12:30 p.m.

• Dec. 8: Home vs Gonzaga, 1 p.m.

• Dec. 16: Home vs UTEP, 6:30 p.m.

• Dec. 19: Vs Georgia (in San Diego), 2 p.m.

• Dec. 21: Vs Stephen F. Austin (in San Diego), noon

• Dec. 29: At Utah State, TBA

• Jan. 1: Home vs San Diego State, TBA

• Jan. 4: Home vs San Jose State, TBA

• Jan. 8: At UNLV, TBA

• Jan. 15: At San Diego State, TBA

• Jan. 18: Home vs New Mexico, TBA

• Jan. 21: Home vs Boise State, TBA

• Jan. 25: At Wyoming, TBA

• Feb. 1: Home vs Air Force, TBA

• Feb. 4: At New Mexico, TBA

• Feb. 8: At Boise State, TBA

• Feb. 12: Home vs Utah State, TBA

• Feb. 15: At Air Force, TBA

• Feb. 19: Home vs Fresno State, TBA

• Feb. 22: Home vs UNLV, TBA

• Feb. 26: At Nevada, TBA

• March 1: Home vs Wyoming, TBA

• March 4: At San Jose State, TBA

• March 9-12: Mountain West tournament (in Las Vegas)

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado State basketball player named Mountain West’s best in preseason