Top 25 - No. 4
October 03, 2011
Due to the second-ranked team losing, the next six teams improved one position. Second-ranked Marian (Ind.) posted 325 points for its highest ranking in school history. No. 3 Carroll (Mont.) recorded 307 total points and is the highest ranked team with one loss.
No. 4 William Penn (Iowa), No. 5 Missouri Valley and No. 6 Georgetown all shifted up the poll one spot. With the loss to the top-ranked Cougars, Saint Francis falls five spots to No. 7. No. 24 Midland (Neb.), who lost 43-39 to then-No. 17 Doane (Neb.) on Saturday, suffered this week’s worst drop (10) within the Top 25. Doane enjoyed the biggest improvement sliding up from No. 17 to No. 13.
No. 21 Bethel (Tenn.) halts the longest drought among this week’s Top 25. The school out of the Mid-South Conference West Division was last ranked on Sept. 15, 2008 when the Wildcats were 24th. No. 22 Shorter (Ga.), No. 23 Rocky Mountain (Mont.) and No. 25 Cumberland (Tenn.) also join Bethel as newcomers. All three programs were ranked at some point earlier this season.
Campbellsville (Ky.) (No. 19), Montana State-Northern (No. 22), Menlo (Calif.) (No. 24) and Evangel (Mo.) (No. 25) all dropped out this week.
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and Independents.
Notes: (All information dates back to 1999) With four No. 1 rankings, with all of them coming in the last four weeks, Saint Xavier (Ill.) moved into the fifth spot for the most appearances at No. 1… The Cougars rank behind only Carroll (Mont.) (56), Sioux Falls (S.D.) (55), Georgetown (Ky.) (23) and Northwestern Oklahoma State (11) for the most No. 1 rankings … Carroll extended its streak of consecutive top-five appearances with 83 … Saint Francis leads the NAIA with 147-straight mentions in the Top 25… Following Saint Francis among consecutive rankings is Carroll with 134 and MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) with 60… No. 2 Marian (Ind.), who sports its highest ranking in school history, has been in the top five in each of the last four polls.
| RANK | LAST WEEK | SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) | 2011 RECORD | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | Saint Xavier (Ill.) (15) | 5-0 | 340 |
| 2 | 3 | Marian (Ind.) | 6-0 | 325 |
| 3 | 4 | Carroll (Mont.) | 4-1 | 307 |
| 4 | 5 | William Penn (Iowa) | 6-0 | 300 |
| 5 | 6 | Missouri Valley | 5-0 | 288 |
| 6 | 7 | Georgetown (Ky.) | 4-0 | 280 |
| 7 | 2 | Saint Francis (Ind.) | 3-1 | 267 |
| 8 | 8 | MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) | 3-1 | 251 |
| 9 | 10 | Morningside (Iowa) | 3-1 | 230 |
| 10 | 11 | Southern Nazarene (Okla.) | 5-0 | 226 |
| 11 | 12 | Benedictine (Kan.) | 5-0 | 210 |
| 12 | 13 | Azusa Pacific (Calif.) | 4-1 | 200 |
| 13 | 17 | Doane (Neb.) | 5-0 | 168 |
| 14 | 15 | Bethany (Kan.) | 5-0 | 164 |
| 15 | 16 | St. Francis (Ill.) | 4-1 | 157 |
| 16 | 18 | Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) | 4-0 | 136 |
| 17 | 9 | Eastern Oregon | 4-1 | 130 |
| 18 | 20 | St. Ambrose (Iowa) | 3-1 | 117 |
| 19 | 21 | Ottawa (Kan.) | 3-2 | 82 |
| 20 | 23 | Valley City State (N.D.) | 3-1 | 80 |
| 21 | RV | Bethel (Tenn.) | 4-1 | 71 |
| 22 | RV | Shorter (Ga.) | 4-1 | 62 |
| 23 | RV | Rocky Mountain (Mont.) | 4-2 | 52 |
| 24 | 14 | Midland (Neb.) | 3-2 | 51 |
| 25 | RV | Cumberland (Tenn.) | 3-1 | 40 |
Others receiving votes: UVa-Wise (Va.) 25; Pikeville (Ky.) 17; Menlo (Calif.) 6; Campbellsville (Ky.) 3; Langston (Okla.) 1; Northwestern Oklahoma State 1; Northwestern (Iowa) 1; Taylor (Ind.) 1
