The Midwest Conference released the 2022-23 preseason coaches poll for women's track Thursday morning.
Voting is done by the MWC head women's track coaches. Each coach votes for the other eight schools in the league in order of predicted finish. Points are assigned in reverse order of voting (eight points for first, seven for second, etc.). Coaches may not vote for their own teams.
Defending indoor champion Ripon College was atop the poll and earned the maximum 64 points with all eight of the other coaches' first place votes. Monmouth College, the 2002 outdoor champion, was second with 51 points while Lawrence University finished with 46, two more than fourth-place Grinnell College.
The Foresters have six returning athletes on the team, including senior Madeline Morland, who was the runner-up in the 1500m run and placed third in the 5000m at the 2022 MWC Outdoor Championships.
Patrick Austin's first indoor and second outdoor season as the program's head coach will begin this Saturday at Carthage College's Forever Red Alumni Classic. Lake Forest will also compete in six indoor meets in January and February before traveling to Illinois College for the 2023 MWC Indoor Track and Field Championships February 24-25. The team will also participate in six outdoor meets prior to the MWC Outdoor Championships May 12-13.
Lake Forest, which has historically competed primarily in the distance events, finished ninth at last year's conference meets and ranked ninth in this season's poll of head coaches.
| PLACE | TEAM (First Place Votes) | POINTS |
| 1 | Ripon College (8) | 64 |
| 2 | Monmouth College (1) | 51 |
| 3 | Lawrence University | 46 |
| 4 | Grinnell College | 44 |
| 5 | Illinois College | 34 |
| 6 | Cornell College | 32 |
| 7 | Beloit College | 27 |
| 8 | Knox College | 17 |
| 9 | Lake Forest College | 9 |
