KANSAS CITY, MO. – Iowa Wesleyan College moved up one place to 14th in the country in the latest NAIA Division II women’s basketball top 25 coaches’ poll released Monday afternoon by the NAIA.
The Tigers received 239 points in the most recent poll, nine more votes than the week before. It is the third straight week Wesleyan is ranked, and the rating is the highest in school history, one spot higher than the mark set a week earlier.
Wesleyan won three times last week in Midwest Collegiate Conference play to improve to 17-7 overall (10-1 MCC), and the Tigers now have wins in 15 of their last 16 games. The top 15 in the poll remained much the same, with little movement other than the University of St. Francis (Ind.) moving up three spots to 11th and Sterling (Kan.) College falling four places to 15th.
IWC is one of two MCC teams in the poll, as this week Grand View University replaced St. Ambrose University in the poll. The Queen Bees of St. Ambrose (18-6) were ranked 17th last week but dropped out of the poll after two losses. Grand View (19-6) re-enters the poll at #21 this week after winning three games last week, including an overtime win at St. Ambrose. The Vikings are also 9-2 in the MCC, one game behind IWC in the conference standings.
Iowa Wesleyan continues to hold three wins over teams currently in the top 25. The Tigers have defeated #21 Grand View, #23 Marian (Ind.) University and #24 Walsh (Ohio) University, the latter two wins on neutral courts. IWC also has defeated a Valley City State. (N.D.) University team which comes in 28th this week, just three spots outside the top 25, and has a win over St. Ambrose, which received four votes this week.
The Tigers’ seven losses include a pair of losses to top 10 teams-Jamestown (N.D.) College, ranked seventh this week, and the College of the Ozarks (Mo.), rated ninth. IWC also has a loss at NCAA Division I University of South Dakota; at Quincy (Ill.) University, which has spent much of the season ranked in NCAA Division II and is just outside the top 25 now, and also lost at MCC rival Mount Mercy College, which received 13 votes in this week’s poll.
The Tigers face a critical three games coming up with games against St. Ambrose, Mount Mercy and Grand View in succession. The stretch starts on Wednesday when IWC travels to Davenport to face St. Ambrose at 5:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast online live at www.iwc.edu/onlinemedia.
For more information regarding the IWC basketball programs or any of the Tiger athletic teams, contact sports information director Adam Glatczak (319-385-6306 phone; 319-385-6384 FAX; aglatczak@iwc.edu e-mail) or log on to IWC's athletics web site at www.iwc.edu/athletics.
Complete NAIA Division II poll
