2012-13 NAIA DII Women?s Basketball Coaches? Preseason Top 25

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Concordia (Neb.) has claimed the top spot in the 2012-13 NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Top 25, the national office announced Tuesday. Concordia collected 11-of-13 first place votes and 342 points for its first No. 1 ranking since the final poll on March 4, 2003 and its tenth overall No. 1 ranking.
Defending national champion Northwestern (Iowa) comes in at No. 2 as it tallied 328 points. Receiving the last two first-place votes was No. 3 College of the Ozarks (Mo.) with 323 points. Indiana Wesleyan comes in at No. 4 notching 314 points, while Morningside (Iowa) rounds out the top five collecting 293 points.
Five teams, who were not in the 201-12 Division II Women's Basketball Postseason Top 25 - No. 6 Saint Xavier (Ill.), No. 13 Olivet Nazarene (Ill.), No. 22 Taylor (Ind.), No. 23 Saint Mary (Neb.) and No. 25 Saint Francis (Ind.)- join the poll. Saint Xavier and Olivet Nazarene were NAIA Division I members last season.
Eleven of the 13 Division II women's basketball conferences/independents/unaffiliated groups are represented throughout the Top 25, led by the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) with five ranked teams. Representing the GPAC is Concordia, Northwestern, Morningside, No. 8 Briar Cliff (Iowa) and No. 18 Hastings (Neb.).
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and Independents. The first regular-season poll will be announced on Nov. 27.
Notes: (All information as of the 1999 - 2000 season) Despite holding more national titles than any other school, Northwestern's (Iowa) 12 No. 1 appearances rank in a tie for fifth... Indiana Wesleyan has appeared at the top of the poll on 25 occasions, six more than Morningside (Iowa) for the most No. 1 rankings all-time ... Davenport (Mich.) and Hastings (Neb.) are tied for the next most with 13 No. 1 rankings apiece, followed by Northwestern and Saint Francis (Ind.), who both have made a dozen No. 1 appearances ... There have been 14 different teams to garner the No. 1 ranking all-time ... Three schools have spent an entire season at No. 1: Morningside in 2008-09, College of the Ozarks (Mo.) in 2007-08 and Saint Francis in 1999-2000 ... In the last 13 years, six teams that have been rated No. 1 in the preseason have gone on to win the national championship with the last being Northwestern, which has accomplished the feat the last two years.
2012-13 NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll
RANK | LAST TIME^ | SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) | 2011-12 RECORD | TOTAL POINTS |
1 | 3 | Concordia (Neb.) (11) | 34-3 | 342 |
2 | 1 | Northwestern (Iowa) | 28-7 | 328 |
3 | 2 | College of the Ozarks (Mo.) (2) | 33-4 | 323 |
4 | 4 | Indiana Wesleyan | 33-3 | 314 |
5 | 6 | Morningside (Iowa) | 26-9 | 293 |
6 | 13# | Saint Xavier (Ill.) | 24-9 | 275 |
7 | 10 | Concordia (Mich.) | 29-6 | 274 |
8 | 8 | Briar Cliff (Iowa) | 25-10 | 250 |
8 | 5 | Grand View (Iowa) | 30-6 | 250 |
10 | 11 | Eastern Oregon | 25-9 | 246 |
11 | 12 | Jamestown (N.D.) | 27-5 | 243 |
12 | 7 | Davenport (Mich.) | 30-5 | 237 |
13 | 17# | Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) | 27-5 | 214 |
14 | 13 | Corban (Ore.) | 24-8 | 184 |
15 | 18 | Bethel (Ind.) | 22-11 | 177 |
16 | 20 | Southwestern (Kan.) | 23-9 | 171 |
17 | 17 | Tennessee Wesleyan | 24-9 | 167 |
18 | 15 | Hastings (Neb.) | 22-11 | 163 |
19 | 14 | Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) | 27-7 | 145 |
20 | 16 | Friends (Kan.) | 24-10 | 129 |
21 | 18 | Ave Maria (Fla.) | 29-5 | 108 |
22 | NR | Taylor (Ind.) | 18-13 | 99 |
23 | RV | Saint Mary (Neb.) | 22-11 | 96 |
24 | 25 | Union (Ky.) | 25-8 | 58 |
25 | 22 | College of Idaho | 22-9 | 46 |
25 | RV | Saint Francis (Ind.) | 19-13 | 46 |
Others receiving votes: Valley City State (N.D.) 42; Point Park (Pa.) 41; Madonna (Mich.) 39; St. Thomas (Fla.) 38; William Penn (Iowa) 32; Cornerstone (Mich.) 20; Sterling (Kan.) 19; Purdue Calumet (Ind.) 16; Huntington (Ind.) 8; Indiana Southeast 7; Warner Pacific (Ore.) 3; Menlo (Calif.) 3; St. Ambrose (Iowa) 3.
^ Ranking indicated in 2011-12 Postseason Top 25 Poll (March 19, 2012)
# Ranking indicated from 2011-12 Division I Women’s Basketball Postseason Top 25 Poll (March 26, 2012)