Fourth NAIA Women’s Lacrosse Coaches’ Top 10 Poll Holds Steady, Only Flip at No. 6 as the Regular Season Enters Final Weeks
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The fourth installment of the NAIA Women’s Lacrosse Coaches’ Top 10 Poll is here, and the top five teams all held steady with the Ravens of Benedictine (Kan.) holding all the chips. Overall, much of the top 10 held steady, except for Indiana Tech and Life (Ga.) flipping spots to No. 6. The Road to Decatur is nearing as the eight-team national tournament field is announced on May 4, but teams can’t look to far ahead as they close out the regular-season strong, and look to make statements and pick up late resume boosting wins in the conference tournaments.
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1. Benedictine (Kan.)
The Benedictine Ravens continue to soar high above the landscape of NAIA Women’s Lacrosse in the fourth installment of the top 10 poll. Just looking at this season, BC is 12-0 so far, and it really hasn’t been close. The Ravens’ closest game this season was a one-goal victory on the road against No. 2 Cumberlands (Ky.) back on March 10. Benedictine ranks first nationally in goals per game (21.25) and draw controls per game (20.83). They rank second nationally in total shots (486), shots on goal (386), and total goals scored (255). The Ravens are looking to continue their dominance in the Heart with two games left in the regular season, when they host St. Ambrose (Iowa) on April 11, then travel to Mount Mercy (Iowa) on April 17 for the regular-season finale.
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2. Cumberlands (Ky.)
The Patriots have been marching through opponents so far this season as well. Sitting at 15-1; UC’s single loss, No. 1 Benedictine. Cumberlands has also been showcasing a potent offense this season, ranking first in total goals (315), assists (196), shots (564), shots on goal (439), ground balls (382), total draw controls (266), and caused turnovers (210). Similar to the Pats’ kryptonite, UC has also been dominating opponents this season, with just one game finishing with a one-goal margin. UC has two games left in the regular season, with a home-and-road matchup on deck. On April 11, the Pats will welcome Reinhardt (Ga.) to Williamsburg, Ky., before traveling north to Georgetown (Ky.) for the regular-season finale
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3. SCAD Savannah (Ga.)
At 7-2 this season, the Bees of SCAD Savannah continue to play great lacrosse under first-year head coach Tyler Yelken, who has already picked up his 100th career coaching win against Warner (Fla.). SCAD has been a cohesive and consistent team this season, while not ranking first in any category, they are in the top two in goals per game and draw controls per game. The Bees have four games left in the season, one home game on April 11 against New College of Florida, and the remaining three are on the road with St. Thomas (Fla.) on April 16, Keiser (Fla.) on April 18, and the regular-season finale at Life (Ga.) on April 25.
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| TREND |
RANK |
LAST TIME |
|
INSTIUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] |
RECORD |
POINTS |
| ● |
1 |
1
|
|
Benedictine (Kan.) [8] |
12-0 |
90 |
| ● |
2 |
2 |
|
Cumberlands (Ky.) |
15-1 |
84 |
| ● |
3 |
3 |
|
SCAD Savannah (Ga.) |
7-2 |
78 |
| ● |
4 |
4 |
|
Reinhardt (Ga.) |
10-1 |
72 |
| ● |
5 |
T-5 |
|
Keiser (Fla.) |
9-2 |
66 |
| ▲ |
6 |
7 |
|
Indiana Tech |
7-2 |
59 |
| ▼ |
7 |
T-5 |
|
Life (Ga.) |
4-6 |
54 |
| ● |
8 |
8 |
|
Ave Maria (Fla.) |
6-4 |
49 |
| ● |
9 |
9 |
|
Marian (Ind.) |
7-3 |
43 |
| ● |
10 |
10 |
|
Lawrence Tech (Mich.) |
6-5 |
33 |
| Receiving Votes: Missouri Baptist 30; Tennessee Wesleyan 21; St. Thomas (Fla.) 19; Georgetown (Ky.) 16; Warner (Fla.) 3; Ottawa (Kan.) 2 |
Key:
RV – Receiving Votes | NR – Not Ranked | Climbed –▲ |Dropped –▼ | Steady – ●
Poll Methodology
- The national poll is for publicity purposes only and does not influence the selection process for national championship consideration.
- A panel of head coaches representing each conference and the Continental Athletic Conference (Independents) votes in the poll.
- The Top 25 teams are selected using a points-based system:
- 30 points for a 1st-place vote, 29 for 2nd, 28 for 3rd, and so on.
- The highest and lowest rankings received by each team are discarded before final tallying.
- Teams receiving only one point are not listed as “receiving votes.”
- For the Preseason Poll, there is no “previous ranking” column since it is the initial poll and differs from the prior rating system.
