NAIA Annouces 2012 Women’s Soccer National Championship Qualifiers
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially released the NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship qualifiers for the 29th annual event. The 31-team tournament will get underway with the National Championship Opening Round at 15 campus locations on Nov. 17. The 15 Opening Round winners, as well as host Mobile (Ala.), will advance to the national championship final site from Nov. 26 - Dec. 1 in Orange Beach, Ala.
The national championship bracket will be released Monday at 2 p.m. CST.
Four-time defending national champion Lee (Tenn.) earned a trip after winning both the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament and regular-season titles. The Lady Flames, who enter the tournament with a 20-match postseason win streak, are 1-of-5 qualifiers to have won at least one national championship. Westmont (Calif.), an at-large selection out of the Golden State Athletic Conference, boasts the most national crowns amongst the field with five.
Eight squads punched a ticket to their first-ever national championship with an automatic berth: Carlow (Pa.), Cumberland (Tenn.), Davenport (Mich.), Doane (Neb.), Embry-Riddle (Ariz.), Faulkner (Ala.), Montreat (N.C.) and Viterbo (Wis.).
This year's 31 teams include 24 automatic qualifiers, - awarded to conference/independent/unaffiliated group tournament and regular-season champions - six at-large bids and one host berth. There are 17 teams that qualified for the 2011 championship and are back again this year.
The six at-large teams were selected based on the final official NAIA Women's Soccer Modified Ratings Percentage Index (MRPI). The MRPI consists of the team's modified winning percentage, their opponents' winning percentage and the cumulative ratings points from the NAIA Women's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll. Each of the three values has a weighted percentage calculated in the MRPI. The MRPI modifies the value of home/away/neutral results and adds more value for games against opponents ranked in their respective national poll. To view the final MRPI, please click here.
Three of this year's qualifiers have made 10-or-more national championship appearances, led by Westmont with 15. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) is second with 14 trips to the event, while Concordia (Ore.) rests third with 12.
NeuLion, the NAIA's official video-streaming company of 12 select NAIA national championship events, will be broadcasting all final site games of the 2012 Women's Soccer National Championship. Single day packages can be purchased for $9.95, while an all-tournament pass is available for $29.95. For more information and to pre-register, click here.
2012 Women's Soccer National Championship Qualifiers
|
School
|
Qualification
|
Record^
|
Championship Appearances
|
Last Time
|
Championship Record
|
Titles
|
|
Ashford (Iowa)
|
Association of Independent Institutions Tournament Champion
|
13-4-2
|
2nd
|
2010
|
0-1-0
|
0
|
|
Baker (Kan.)
|
At-Large No. 3
|
12-6-1
|
3rd
|
2011
|
5-1-1
|
0
|
|
Bellevue (Neb.)
|
Midlands Collegiate Athletic Tournament Champion
|
13-3-1
|
3rd
|
2011
|
0-1-1
|
0
|
|
Benedictine (Kan.)
|
At-Large No. 5
|
15-2-3
|
2nd
|
2008
|
0-1-0
|
0
|
|
Cal State San Marcos
|
At-Large No. 6
|
11-5-3
|
4th
|
2011
|
1-3-0
|
0
|
|
Carlow (Pa.)
|
Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Tournament Champion
|
14-1-1
|
1st
|
-
|
0-0-0
|
0
|
|
Concordia (Ore.)
|
Cascade Collegiate Tournament Champion
|
15-2-2
|
12th
|
2011
|
21-11-2
|
0
|
|
Cumberland (Tenn.)
|
Mid-South Tournament Champion
|
18-2-0
|
1st
|
-
|
0-0-0
|
0
|
|
Davenport (Mich.)
|
Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Tournament Champion
|
17-2-1
|
1st
|
-
|
0-0-0
|
0
|
|
Doane (Neb.)
|
Great Plains Athletic Tournament Champion
|
14-5-0
|
1st
|
-
|
0-0-0
|
0
|
|
Embry-Riddle (Ariz.)
|
California Pacific Tournament Champion
|
13-4-3
|
1st
|
-
|
0-0-0
|
0
|
|
Embry-Riddle (Fla.)
|
The Sun Tournament Champion
|
15-5-0
|
8th
|
2011
|
3-8-0
|
0
|
|
Faulkner (Ala.)
|
Southern States Athletic Tournament Runner-Up
|
7-11-2
|
1st
|
-
|
0-0-0
|
0
|
|
Graceland (Iowa)
|
Heart of America Athletic Tournament Champion
|
17-2-1
|
7th
|
2011
|
6-4-4
|
0
|
|
Kansas Wesleyan
|
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Tournament Champion
|
19-1-0
|
4th
|
2010
|
1-3-1
|
0
|
|
Lee (Tenn.)
|
Southern States Athletic Tournament Champion
|
17-1-1
|
9th
|
2011
|
26-3-2
|
4
|
|
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
|
At-Large No. 1
|
15-4-1
|
14th
|
2011
|
23-12-2
|
2
|
|
Martin Methodist (Tenn.)
|
Unaffiliated Group (Frontier/TranSouth) Tournament Champion
|
15-3-0
|
9th
|
2011
|
14-4-3
|
2
|
|
Mobile (Ala.)
|
Host Berth
|
15-3-2
|
7th
|
2011
|
12-5-0
|
1
|
|
Montreat (N.C.)
|
Appalachian Athletic Tournament Champion
|
13-3-5
|
1st
|
-
|
0-0-0
|
0
|
|
Northwood (Fla.)
|
The Sun Regular Season Champion
|
13-4-2
|
6th
|
2011
|
4-6-0
|
0
|
|
Oklahoma City
|
Sooner Athletic Tournament Champion
|
19-1-0
|
7th
|
2011
|
6-6-2
|
0
|
|
Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)
|
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Regular Season Champion
|
16-3-0
|
3rd
|
2011
|
1-2-0
|
0
|
|
Park (Mo.)
|
American Midwest Tournament Champion
|
12-6-0
|
9th
|
2008
|
4-9-2
|
0
|
|
Robert Morris (Ill.)
|
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Tournament Champion
|
14-6-0
|
6th
|
2011
|
6-5-1
|
0
|
|
Spring Arbor (Mich.)
|
Crossroads League Tournament Champion
|
17-2-1
|
4th
|
2011
|
1-3-0
|
0
|
|
Texas at Brownsville
|
Red River Athletic Tournament Champion
|
13-3-1
|
3rd
|
2011
|
0-2-0
|
0
|
|
Vanguard (Calif.)
|
Golden State Athletic Tournament Champion
|
16-2-0
|
2nd
|
2009
|
1-1-0
|
0
|
|
Viterbo (Wis.)
|
Midwest Collegiate Tournament Champion
|
15-2-1
|
1st
|
-
|
0-0-0
|
0
|
|
Westmont (Calif.)
|
At-Large No. 4
|
12-5-1
|
15th
|
2011
|
28-5-6
|
5
|
|
William Carey (Miss.)
|
At-Large No. 2
|
14-4-1
|
5th
|
2010
|
5-4-1
|
0
|
^Records as of Nov. 11, as submitted by the school using DakStats Web-sync process