WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's basketball team closed out the 2013-14 season boasting national rankings from both D3hoops.com and USTA Today Sports.
 
And the Cardinals will kick off the 2014-15 season the same way.
 
Just four days after the Cardinals landed a No. 23 ranking in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25, the USA Today Sports Coaches Poll followed suit, awarding Saint Mary's the No. 24 ranking in their preseason poll, released Tuesday.
 
The Cardinals, who captured their first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular-season title in 28 years a year ago—while also earning its first NCAA national tournament appearance since the 1985-86 season—kick off their 2014-15 season with nonconference games against UM-Morris and UW-River Falls on Nov. 15-16 in St. Joseph, Minn.
 
Defending national champion FDU-Florham, which grabbed seven of the eight first-place votes after putting together a perfect 33-0 season a year ago, landed the No. 1 spot in the USA Today Sports Coaches Poll, followed by Thomas More (Ky.) (31-1), Tufts (30-3), Hope (28-1) and Amherst (26-4).
 
Saint Mary's, 24-4 a year ago—equaling the school record for wins in a season—is one of two MIAC schools in this year's preseason poll. St. Thomas (25-5) is sitting in the No. 13 spot.
 
The Cardinals, who kick off their season with six straight nonconference games, begin defense of their conference regular-season title on Dec. 3, traveling to Hutton Arena in St. Paul, Minn., for a 7 p.m. showdown with Hamline.
 
The USA TODAY Sports board of coaches is made up of nine head coaches at NCAA Division III institutions and are all members of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).
 
USA Today Sports Coaches Poll