2015 NAIA Men’s Soccer Coaches’ Postseason Top 25 Poll – Dec. 9
By Chad Waller, Director of Communications & Sports Information
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — National Champion Rio Grande (Ohio) holds the No. 1 spot for the 10th-straight time in the postseason edition of the 2015 NAIA Men’s Soccer Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, announced Wednesday by the national office. The RedStorm captured their second-overall national title with a thrilling 1-0 overtime victory over then-No. 16 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) on Dec. 5 in Delray Beach, Fla.
Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 2000):
• For the sixth-consecutive week, Rio Grande (Ohio) tallied all first-place votes to hold at No. 1. In the postseason installment, the RedStorm finished with 18 first-place votes and 498 points.
• The 10-straight No. 1 mentions is the longest streak since Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) had a 10-week stint that spanned parts of the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
• After its second national championship title – and first since 2003 – Rio Grande ended the year with the most wins in the NAIA with a 23-1-0 mark.
• Rio Grande landed the No. 1 spot for the 15th occasion in the last 17 polls, dating back to last year.
• The RedStorm became the first top seed in the national championship to win it all since 2009 when Lindsey Wilson accomplished the feat.
• After its highest finish in school history – national runner-up – No. 2 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) claims its highest spot of the season. The Pioneers were No. 2 last on Oct. 21, 2014.
• National semifinalists No. 3 Missouri Valley and No. 4 Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) vault into the top 5. This is the highest ranking in school history for the Lynx, while Missouri Valley is in this range for the fifth-straight week and sixth time overall in 2015.
• Two newcomers – No. 17 Bellevue (Neb.) and No. 4 Lindenwood-Belleville – both appeared earlier this year in the Top 25.
• No. 21 WVU Tech (W.Va.) and No. 25 Ashford (Iowa) dropped out this week. The big note is that Ashford has its 45-straight weeks of consecutive rankings stopped.
• No. 2 MidAmerica Nazarene and No. 9 Indiana Wesleyan both claim the best improvement with a 14-spot hike.
• Conversely, No. 16 Science & Arts (Okla.) dropped down 10 positions for the worst tumble.
• Sixteen of the 19 conferences, Association of Independent Institutions (AII) and unaffiliated group were represented this week. The American Midwest Conference, Heart of America Athletic Conference and Mid-South Conference field the most representatives in the Top 25 with three each.
• Through 11 polls this year (including Preseason Top 25), there were 44 different teams to be ranked at least once – 10 teams have held a ranking in each of these polls.
• Rio Grande boasts the most all-time No. 1 rankings with 56, followed by Lindsey Wilson with 48, Bethel (Tenn.) with 11 and Hastings with 10. Overall, 21 different teams have claimed the No. 1 spot in the poll.
• Rio Grande has garnered at least one top ranking in each of the past four seasons and five out of the last six overall.
• Lindsey Wilson is the longest consecutively-ranked active school at 105-straight polls, dating back to the first installment of the 2007 Top 25 Poll (Sept. 5). Rio Grande is next in line with 98-consecutive rankings, followed by Missouri Valley at 65.
• Since 2000, just three teams have spent the entire regular season (not including preseason) ranked No. 1—Bethel in 2009 and Rio Grande in 2004 and 2015.
Poll Methodology:
• The poll was voted upon by a panel of 19 head coaches representing each of the conferences, independents and unaffiliated groups.
• The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first place vote, 29 for second place and so on through the list.
• The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is a low rating) is removed and the team’s ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the team appears on.
• Teams who receive only one point in the ballot will not be listed in the “Receiving Votes” category.
• The Modified Ratings Percentage Index (MRPI) is a separate ranking conducted on Sept. 30, Oct. 21 and Nov. 16. The MRPI—first adopted in 2010—will select the at-large national championship qualifying teams and seed the 32-team national championship opening round field.
• For the complete Top 25 calendar, click
here.
2015 NAIA Men’s Soccer Coaches’ Postseason Top 25 Poll (Dec. 9)
| RANK |
LAST WEEK |
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) |
2015 RECORD |
TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 |
1 |
Rio Grande (Ohio) (18) |
23-1 |
498 |
| 2 |
16 |
MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) |
18-6-1 |
482 |
| 3 |
3 |
Missouri Valley |
20-3-1 |
466 |
| 4 |
RV |
Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) |
17-9 |
441 |
| 5 |
4 |
Davenport (Mich.) |
17-3-2 |
440 |
| 6 |
T11 |
Columbia (Mo.) |
19-4 |
403 |
| 7 |
10 |
Rocky Mountain (Mont.) |
17-3-4 |
396 |
| 8 |
2 |
Oklahoma Wesleyan |
20-1-1 |
378 |
| 9 |
23 |
Indiana Wesleyan |
16-6-1 |
367 |
| 10 |
7 |
Biola (Calif.) |
15-5-1 |
352 |
| 11 |
5 |
Baker (Kan.) |
18-4-1 |
346 |
| 12 |
8 |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
18-2-2 |
331 |
| 13 |
13 |
Union (Ky.) |
17-2-4 |
291 |
| 14 |
15 |
Vanguard (Calif.) |
16-5 |
285 |
| 15 |
18 |
Southeastern (Fla.) |
16-5 |
276 |
| 16 |
6 |
Science & Arts (Okla.) |
19-3 |
255 |
| 17 |
RV |
Bellevue (Neb.) |
12-4-4 |
250 |
| 18 |
9 |
Northwestern Ohio |
16-5 |
246 |
| 19 |
T11 |
Cumberland (Tenn.) |
18-2-1 |
218 |
| 20 |
14 |
Marymount (Calif.) |
15-4-1 |
158 |
| 21 |
17 |
Corban (Ore.) |
17-3-1 |
151 |
| 22 |
19 |
Roosevelt (Ill.) |
16-4-2 |
145 |
| 23 |
24 |
Lyon (Ark.) |
14-4-1 |
142 |
| 24 |
22 |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
14-5-2 |
134 |
| 25 |
20 |
Hastings (Neb.) |
14-4-3 |
123 |
Dropped from rankings: No. 21 WVU Tech (W.Va.); No. 25 Ashford (Iowa).
Others Receiving Votes: WVU Tech 102; Ashford (Iowa) 101; Bethel (Tenn.) 47; The Master's (Calif.) 36; Thomas (Ga.) 30;
Great Falls (Mont.) 27; Bryan (Tenn.) 17; Mobile (Ala.) 17; UC Merced 5; Concordia (Neb.) 5; St. Thomas (Texas) 5; Grace (Ind.) 4.