2016 Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 Poll
Carroll No. 23
By Spencer Scheve, Communications and Sports Information Intern
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After securing the school’s first national title, Spring Arbor (Mich.) opens the season as the No. 1 ranked team in the 2016 NAIA Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 Poll, the National Office announced Tuesday. The Cougars, look to achieve back-to-back titles, received 16 first-place votes and 436 points.
Top 25 Highlights:
- This is the first time in school history that Spring Arbor has earned the preseason top vote. The Cougars are led by sophomore Bethany Balcer, who tallied 30 goals and 13 assists in 26 games last season, and junior Aubrey Schierbeek, who posted 14 goals and 11 assists in 23 games. Spring Arbor start their quest to back-to-back titles on August 24, as they host Aquinas College.
- The 2015 national runner-up Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) comes in at No.2 with 422 points. This marks the second time in the last 13 polls that the Blue Raiders have not acquired the top vote. Lindsey Wilson is led by sophomore Yvonne Ploeg, who tallied 24 goals and seven assists in 21 games last season, and Senior Lyana Perez, who recorded 19 goals and two assists in 21 games. Lindsey Wilson opens the season on August 23 as the host Mount Vernon Nazarene.
- Northwestern Ohio comes in at No.3 with 408 points, while No. 4 Benedictine (kan.) 394 points) and No. 5 Mobile (Ala.) (379 points) round out the top five.
- This year's preseason top 25 poll features three new teams. Carroll (Mont.), Embry-Riddle (Ariz.), and Cumberland (Tenn.) at 23-25.
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and the Association of Independent Institutions. The first regular-season Top 25 will be announced on Sept. 6.
For the complete ratings calendar, click here.
Notes: (All information as of 2000)
- Lindsey Wilson owns the longest active streak of consecutive apppearances in the Top 25 with 171-consecutive mentions, including 142-straight in the Top 10 ranking.
- Lindsey Wilson has the most No. 1 rankings with 58, followed by former NAIA member Azusa Pacific (Calif.) with 33.
- Two different teams held the top spot in 2015: Lindsey Wilson with 10 weeks and Spring Arbor with one week.
- Lee's (Tenn.) 2011 team is the last squad to be preseason ranked No. 1 and win the national title in the same year
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”
- Frequency of polls occur bi-weekly. This policy was approved by the National Administrative Council (NAC) for the 2016-17 academic season. This change will allow raters the opportunity to consider a larger body of work in between rating periods.
2016 Woman's Soccer Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 Poll (Aug. 16)
|
RANK
|
LAST ^
|
SCHOOL (1st PLACE VOTES)
|
2015 RECORD
|
FINAL POINTS
|
|
1
|
1
|
Spring Arbor (Mich.) (16)
|
24-2-1
|
436
|
|
2
|
2
|
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
|
20-2-2
|
422
|
|
3
|
3
|
Northwestern Ohio
|
20-3-2
|
408
|
|
4
|
4
|
Benedictine (Kan.)
|
22-2-1
|
394
|
|
5
|
5
|
Mobile (Ala.)
|
19-3-0
|
379
|
|
6
|
6
|
William Carey (Miss.)
|
17-3-2
|
367
|
|
7
|
7
|
Westmont (Calif.)
|
13-2-3
|
353
|
|
8
|
8
|
Martin Methodist (Tenn.)
|
15-5-0
|
337
|
|
9
|
9
|
Keiser (Fla.)
|
16-3-1
|
322
|
|
10
|
10
|
Vanguard (Calif.)
|
14-4-1
|
311
|
|
11
|
11
|
Grace (Ind.)
|
15-3-3
|
298
|
|
12
|
12
|
Biola (Calif.)
|
13-2-3
|
283
|
|
13
|
13
|
Baker (Kan.)
|
16-5-1
|
269
|
|
14
|
14
|
Campbellsville (Ky.)
|
19-3-0
|
253
|
|
15
|
15
|
St. Ambrose (Iowa)
|
13-5-3
|
238
|
|
16
|
16
|
Sienna Heights (Mich.)
|
17-4-0
|
230
|
|
17
|
17
|
Kansas Wesleyan
|
15-5-3
|
208
|
|
18
|
18
|
Hastings (Neb.)
|
15-5-1
|
201
|
|
19
|
20
|
Viterbo (Wis.)
|
12-8-0
|
176
|
|
20
|
24
|
Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)
|
15-5-1
|
164
|
|
21
|
22
|
Our Lady of the Lake (Texas)
|
14-4-2
|
153
|
|
22
|
25
|
Reinhardt (Ga.)
|
17-3-1
|
137
|
|
23
|
NR
|
Carroll (Mont.)
|
14-5-2
|
119
|
|
24
|
NR
|
Embry-Riddle (Ariz.)
|
13-4-3
|
88
|
|
25
|
NR
|
Cumberland (Tenn.)
|
9-9-0
|
56
|
|
|
|
|
|
Others receiving votes: Robert Morris (Ill.) 54; Ottawa (Kan.) 52; Mid America Nazarene (Kan.) 35; Marian (Ind.) 29; Georgetown (Ky.) 26; Georgia Gwinnett 24; Science & Arts (Okla.) 17; Trinity International 17; SCAD Savannah (Ga.) 17.
^ Based off 2015 Postseason Coaches’ Poll (Dec. 9, 2015)