2016 Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – Nov. 8
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By Spencer Scheve, Communications and Sports Information Intern
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Spring Arbor (Mich.) claimed all 19 first-place votes and 529 points to earn a 10th-straight No. 1 ranking in the NAIA Women's Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Tuesday. The national championship qualifiers and final MRPI will be announced Monday, Nov. 14 at 11 a.m. CST via live selection show.
Top 25 highlights (historical information dates back to 1999):
• Spring Arbor (Mich.) claims its 10
th-straight No.1 ranking, the most in school history. The all-time leader for consecutive No. 1 rankings is Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) at 13 from 2004 to 2005.
• The last time the Cougars were out of the Top 25 was on Nov. 9, 2010.
• The Cougars are led by Ashley Timmons, who is ranked No. 1 in the NAIA in goals against per game (0.2), and Bethany Balcer, who is ranked No. 3 in the NAIA in shots per game (7.33).
• Martin Methodist (Tenn.) maintains the No. 2 ranking for a second-straight week. The Red Hawks earned 510 points in this edition.
• Martin Methodist is led by Linzi Taylor, who is ranked No. 5 in the NAIA in total assists (12) and No. 5 in assists per game (0.71).
• Rounding out the top five is Keiser (Fla.) at No. 3 with 497 points, Lindsey Wilson at No. 4 with 476 points and Mobile (Ala.) at No. 5 with 413 points.
• There is one newcomer to the top 10 – Westmont (Calif.) shifting one spot from to No. 10.
• The biggest move in the Top 25 is Hastings (Neb.) falling five spots from No. 10 to No. 15 in this week’s edition.
• There is one new team in the Top 25 – No. 25 Ottawa (Kan.).
• The last time Ottawa was ranked was on Nov. 10, 2015, when the Braves were ranked No. 23.
• The one institution to fall out of the Top 25 is Cardinal Stritch (Wis.).
• There are three conferences tied for the most schools represented in the Top 25 -- the Southern States Athletic Conference, Mid-South Conference and the Golden State Athletic Conference. All three leagues boast three teams each.
• There are 14 of the 19 conferences with at least one team in the Top 25.
• Lindsey Wilson owns the longest active streak of consecutive appearances in the Top 25 with 178-consecutive mentions, including 149-straight in the Top 10.
• Lindsey Wilson has the most No. 1 rankings with 58, followed by former NAIA member Azusa Pacific (Calif.) with 33.
• Former NAIA member Lee's (Tenn.) 2011 team is the last squad to be preseason ranked No. 1 and win the national title in the same year.
For the complete ratings calendar, click here.
Poll Methodology
- The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences, Association of Independent Institutions 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 considered a low ratings) 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 teams appears on.
- Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes
- For the complete ratings calendar, click here.
2016 NAIA Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Top 25 Poll - No. 8 (Nov. 8)
| RANK |
LAST ^ |
SCHOOL (1st PLACE VOTES) |
2016 RECORD |
FINAL POINTS |
| 1 |
1 |
Spring Arbor (Mich.) (19) |
17-0-1 |
529 |
| 2 |
2 |
Martin Methodist (Tenn.) |
13-1-3 |
510 |
| 3 |
3 |
Keiser (Fla.) |
16-1-0 |
497 |
| 4 |
4 |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
13-3-0 |
476 |
| 5 |
5 |
Mobile (Ala.) |
14-2-2 |
461 |
| 6 |
6 |
Northwestern Ohio |
17-2-1 |
441 |
| 7 |
7 |
Vanguard (Calif.) |
14-3-0 |
430 |
| 8 |
8 |
Biola (Calif.) |
14-0-3 |
410 |
| 9 |
9 |
William Carey (Miss.) |
13-4-0 |
394 |
| 10 |
11 |
Westmont (Calif.) |
15-2-2 |
376 |
| 11 |
12 |
Benedictine (Kan.) |
16-3-0 |
359 |
| 12 |
13 |
Baker (Kan.) |
14-3-2 |
336 |
| 13 |
14 |
Columbia (Mo.) |
16-1-2 |
324 |
| 14 |
16 |
John Brown (Ark.) |
16-1-1 |
300 |
| 15 |
10 |
Hastings (Neb.) |
17-2-1 |
292 |
| 16 |
18 |
Cumberland (Tenn.) |
11-3-2 |
259 |
| 17 |
15 |
Reinhardt (Ga.) |
15-2-1 |
249 |
| 18 |
17 |
Kansas Wesleyan |
15-1-3 |
234 |
| 19 |
19 |
Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) |
13-2-2 |
223 |
| 20 |
20 |
Davenport (Mich.) |
18-1-1 |
209 |
| 21 |
22 |
Southeastern (Fla.) |
15-1-0 |
174 |
| 22 |
22 |
Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) |
13-2-2 |
172 |
| 23 |
21 |
Taylor (Ind.) |
14-2-1 |
171 |
| 24 |
24 |
Georgetown (Ky.) |
13-3-2 |
157 |
| 25 |
NR |
Ottawa (Kan.) |
16-3-0 |
93 |
|
Others receiving votes: Park (Mo.) 86; St. Ambrose (Iowa) 73; Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) 70; Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) 41; MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 31; Georgia Gwinnett 21; Carroll (Mont.) 17; Siena Heights (Mich.) 16; Bellevue (Neb.) 13; UC Merced (Calif.) 7