Conference Championships Shake Up NCAA DII Women’s National Poll

NEW ORLEANS – Defending national women’s champion Adams State remained atop an eventful post-conference championships edition of the NCAA Division II National Coaches’ Poll, but not all of the poll’s first-place votes stayed in Alamosa, Colorado.

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A national showdown is brewing as the former unanimous No. 1 Grizzlies won the RMAC in decisive fashion, but still saw one of their eight first-place nods defect to GLIAC champion No. 2 Grand Valley State.

The two schools have combined to win 12 of the last 13 national titles, with GVSU having won four of the past six. ASU and GVSU went 1-2 at last year’s NCAA Championships.

Adams State put four in the top-10 to topple then-No. 4 Western State, 33-77 – a feat matched at the GLIAC Championships by the Lakers to outpace No. 10 Northern Michigan, 35-69.

Both teams boasted individual conference winners in Jenna Thurman and Kendra Foley, respectively.

Also holding steady and continuing to prove its merit as a national podium contender (top-four at the NCAA Championships in Saint Leo, Florida, on November 19) was NSIC champion No. 3 U-Mary.

The Marauders also put four in the top-10 for a victory over then-No. 5 Minnesota Duluth, 33-47. The two will square off once again on November 5 at the Central Regional.

Minnesota Duluth moved up a spot to No. 4 this week, trading spots with new No. 5 Western State.

GLVC winner Southern Indiana moved up one spot to No. 6, while CCAA champion Chico State improved two spots to No. 7.

Their rises came at the expense of another pair of conference winners in No. 8 Cedarville (G-MAC) and No. 9 Cal Baptist (PacWest).

Rounding out the top-10 was a stationary Northern Michigan. The Wildcats are the fourth team from the Midwest Region in the top-10, and one of six in the top-25. Two more from the region – which only gets five bids to the NCAA Championships – are also receiving votes, combining for eight appearing in the national poll in total.

Off all the teams in the poll, perhaps none made a bigger impact on the voters than did No. 14 CSU-Pueblo, which moved up a nation-best seven spots to its best rank in program history. The ThunderWolves finished third at the RMAC Championships.

Moving up four spots was MIAA winner No. 19 Southwest Baptist, while both GNAC winner No. 11 Alaska Anchorage and GNAC runner-up No. 16 Simon Fraser improved three spots each.

Joining the top-25 for the first time this season were No. 22 Bellarmine and No. 23 Cal Poly Pomona. Returning to the top-25 in a tie at No. 24 were Bloomsburg and Sunshine champ Saint Leo.

Four teams dropped out of the top-25 in Fort Hays State, Malone, UC San Diego, Seatle Pacific.

See the full National Coaches’ Poll below.

The USTFCCCA National Coaches’ Poll for DII ranks the top 25 teams in the country. Voting panel of eight consists of the eight regional representatives, per gender.