Micala Boex, the Northern Arizona forward who earned Co‑MVP honors in 2025, has been crowned the 2026 Big Sky Preseason Most Valuable Player, a distinction announced by league head coaches this week.
Preseason Poll Highlights
Weber State topped the poll with 74 points and five first‑place votes, followed by Idaho in second with 70 points and four first‑place votes, while Utah Tech secured third with 63 points and a single first‑place vote. Montana, the defending tournament champion, slipped to seventh.
Northern Arizona finished fourth with 60 points, a placement that underscores the program’s consistency under head coach Alan Berrios, who now enters his fourth season and his tenth consecutive Big Sky tournament appearance.
Boex returns as the Lumberjacks’ leading scorer from last season, having recorded eight goals, six assists and 22 points en route to a second‑team all‑conference selection, while teammates Valerie Llamas and Erin O’Connor also bring recent all‑conference experience.
The team will open its schedule with two exhibition matches this week against Embry‑Riddle, both open to the public, before launching the regular season on August 12 at UC Riverside.
With the top six regular‑season teams advancing to the 2026 Big Sky Championships in Missoula, Montana, from November 11‑15, the Lumberjacks are poised to extend their streak of tournament appearances and contend for a title that has eluded them in recent years.