WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State is coming off its second NCAA postseason appearance under head coach Ryan Spence and is picked fourth in the Lone Star Conference 2025 preseason poll after finishing last season with an 11-5-5 record.

Senior midfielder Nyxalee Munoz was named as an Offensive Player to Watch, and sophomore Sloane Sullivan is a Defensive Player to Watch. Freshman Lauren Short is a Goalkeeper to Watch during the upcoming season.

Munoz, who earned All-LSC honors last year, scored eight goals and had three assists, finishing second on the team with 19 points. Munoz led the team and was second in the conference with four game-winning goals for the Mustangs.

Sullivan was named to the LSC All-Freshman team last season after starting 19 of the 20 games in which she appeared for the Midwestern State, and she assisted on a pair of goals.

Short, who played with FC Dallas White ECRL-NTX, made 57 appearances over three seasons at Emerson High School in McKinney, Texas, and posted seven clean sheets in her senior season, finishing with a record of 10-5-0 for the Mavericks.

The preseason poll and preseason players of the year are voted on by LSC head coaches, sports information directors and media members.

Defending LSC regular season and tournament champion Angelo State is the pick as conference runner-up with 634 points and 13 first-place votes. The Rambelles went 14-2-5 overall and 9-0-3 in league play last year on their way to a fifth regular season title and third tournament crown. ASU advanced all the way to the NCAA Division II national quarterfinals.

TWU is picked to finish third with 556 points and garnered one first-place vote. The Pioneers finished 12-4-3 overall and 7-2-3 in 2024. Midwestern State is picked fourth with 511 points. St. Mary's is fifth with 468 points, followed by SEU (435 points), Lubbock Christian (392 points) and Oklahoma Christian (358 points) to round out what would be the potential eight qualifiers for the LSC tournament.

UT Tyler is picked in ninth with 347 points and West Texas A&M completes the top 10 with 284 points. Texas A&M International is 11th with 244 points, followed by new league member UT Dallas (168 points), UT Permian Basin (146 points), Eastern New Mexico (124 points) and Sul Ross State (83 points). TAMIU and SRSU each picked up a first-place vote.

Midwestern State opens the season on the road at Southern Nazarene on Sept. 4 in Bethany, Oklahoma. The home opener is slated for Sept. 20 against LSC newcomer UT Dallas with kickoff at 1 p.m.