The Lewis-Clark State College women’s basketball team wound up No. 22 in the final NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball Top 25 poll, climbing two spots after winning the Frontier Conference Tournament championship.
The poll and with the 32-team field for the NAIA National Tournament were announced on Wednesday. By winning the conference tournament, LCSC earned an automatic berth to nationals, which will be held at Oman Arena in Jackson, Tenn., on March 18-24. Pairings for the tournament will be announced on Thursday.
The Warriors, 23-7, were ranked No. 24 in last week’s poll. They earned 94 points in this week’s poll, just one behind No. 21 Biola and two points ahead of No. 23 Bethel. Westminster, which won the Frontier Conference regular season title but lost to LCSC in the tournament championship game, finished at No. 15 in the poll, the same position it held last week. Westminster received the No. 6 of 14 at-large berths into the tournament and will be the conference’s only other representative.
Wednesday’s poll is used to determine the at-large berths and the final one went to Wayland Baptist, which would have been ranked No. 27 based on votes. Montana State-Northern, which finished tied for second with LCSC in the conference standings, received only one vote, which left it in a four-way tie for the No. 37 spot.
The poll featured only one change in the Top 10 from a week ago as No. 5 Lee and No. 6 Freed-Hardeman switched spots from a week ago. In fact, all 25 teams that were ranked last week were ranked in the top 25 again this week.
The national tournament features 18 conference and independent automatic qualifiers, and at-large berths. If the poll is used to determine the seedings, Union of Tenn., which received all 12 first-place votes, will likely be the No. 1 seed and also will be playing on its home court at Oman Arena.
The Warriors, who had won 20 or more games for 17 straight seasons, will be making their 13th trip to the national tournament in the last 14 seasons. LCSC has an all-time record of 14-12 at the national tournament.
If the poll is any indication of how the tournament seeding will go, the Warriors would be seeded No. 22 in the tournament and would play the No. 11 seed. In the final poll on Wednesday, Cumberlands of Kentucky is ranked No. 11 at 27-4 overall. Lubbock Christian, 26-6, is ranked No. 10, while Oklahoma City, 28-5, is No. 12.
The 18 automatic qualifiers include: Berry (Ga.), Cumberlands (Ky.), Evangel (Mo.), Jarvis Christian (Texas), Lambuth (Tenn.), Langston (Okla.), Lee (Tenn.), Lewis-Clark State (Idaho), LSU-Shreveport, Loyola (La.), Oklahoma Baptist, Oklahoma City, Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.), Saint Xavier (Ill.), Union (Tenn.), Vanguard (Calif.), William Jewell (Mo.) and William Woods (Mo.)
Auburn Montgomery (Ala.), Azusa Pacific (Calif.), Bethel (Tenn.), Biola (Calif.), Campbellsville (Ky.), Columbia (Mo.), Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.), Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), Lubbock Christian (Texas), Southern Nazarene (Okla.), Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.), Wayland Baptist (Texas), Westminster (Utah) and Westmont (Calif.) received an at-large berths into the tournament.
Union (Tenn.) and Wayland Baptist (Texas) are making their 20th appearance in the tournament, most by any Division I women’s basketball teams. Union is also making a NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball record, 18 consecutive appearances. Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) and Southern Nazarene (Okla.) are making their 18th trip while Campbellsville (Ky.) is making its 17th.
LSU-Shreveport is making its first appearance in the tournament while Bethel (Tenn.), Evangel (Mo.) and William Jewell (Mo.) are making their first Division I appearance.
The official tournament bracket will be released by 10 a.m. (PST) on Thursday.
The 32 qualifiers and the final NAIA poll are listed below.
NAIA National Tournament
Team (Overall, Conference) Qualification Appearances Record Titles
|
Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) (20-8, 15-5)
|
At-Large # 13
|
17
|
18-15
|
0
|
|
Azusa Pacific (Calif.) (22-10, 12-8)
|
At-Large # 9
|
10
|
3-11
|
0
|
|
Berry (Ga.) (18-14, 13-6)
|
Southern States Conference Runner-Up
|
9
|
4-9
|
0
|
|
Bethel (Tenn.) (19-12, 9-7)
|
At-Large # 12
|
1 (DII)
|
0-1
|
0
|
|
Biola (Calif.) (19-11, 11-9)
|
At-Large # 11
|
3
|
0-3
|
0
|
|
Campbellsville (Ky.) (26-6, 10-2)
|
At-Large # 4
|
16
|
13-16
|
0
|
|
Columbia (Mo.) (28-4, 14-2)
|
At-Large # 10
|
5
|
2-5
|
0
|
|
Cumberlands (Ky.) (27-4, 10-2)
|
Mid-South Conference Champion
|
9
|
2-9
|
0
|
|
Evangel (Mo.) (21-10, 17-3)
|
Heart of America Regular Season Champion
|
7 (DII)
|
12-7
|
0
|
|
Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) (24-8, 11-3)
|
At-Large # 1
|
12
|
16-12
|
0
|
|
Jarvis Christian (Texas) (19-10, 13-5)
|
Red River Conference Runner-Up
|
1
|
0-1
|
0
|
|
Lambuth (Tenn.) (25-5)
|
Independent Champion
|
6
|
9-5
|
1
|
|
Langston (Okla.) (28-5, 19-1)
|
Red River Conference Champion
|
6
|
3-6
|
0
|
|
Lee (Tenn.) (28-5, 17-3)
|
Southern States Conference Champion
|
5
|
1-5
|
0
|
|
Lewis-Clark (Idaho) (23-7, 10-4)
|
Frontier Conference Champion
|
12
|
14-12
|
0
|
|
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (24-8, 9-3)
|
At-Large # 8
|
5
|
1-5
|
0
|
|
Loyola (La.) (23-6, 16-2)
|
Gulf Coast Conference Champion
|
3
|
2-3
|
0
|
|
LSU-Shreveport (27-5, 15-3)
|
Gulf Coast Conference Runner-Up
|
0
|
|
|
|
Lubbock Christian (Texas ) (26-6, 18-4)
|
At-Large # 3
|
5
|
7-5
|
0
|
|
Oklahoma Baptist (29-4, 20-2)
|
Sooner Conf. Regular Season Champion
|
14
|
10-13
|
0
|
|
Oklahoma City (28-5, 17-5)
|
Sooner Conference Tournament Champion
|
14
|
41-9
|
4
|
|
Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) (25-6, 17-3)
|
Golden State Conference Runner-Up
|
7
|
7-7
|
0
|
|
Saint Xavier (Ill.) (25-4, 9-1)
|
Chicagoland Conference Champion
|
6
|
2-6
|
0
|
|
Southern Nazarene (Okla.) (24-7, 16-5)
|
At-Large # 5
|
17
|
58-10
|
7
|
|
Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.) (25-7, 12-4)
|
At-Large # 2
|
9
|
11-9
|
0
|
|
Union (Tenn.) (32-1, 16-0)
|
TranSouth Conference Champion
|
19
|
49-16
|
3
|
|
Vanguard (Calif.) (29-3, 19-1)
|
Golden State Conference Champion
|
10
|
19-9
|
1
|
|
Wayland Baptist (Texas) (22-11, 14-8)
|
At-Large # 14
|
19
|
25-19
|
0
|
|
Westminster (Utah) (26-6, 14-0)
|
At-Large # 6
|
2
|
1-2
|
0
|
|
Westmont (Calif.) (22-8, 13-7)
|
At-Large # 7
|
4
|
1-4
|
0
|
|
William Jewell (Mo.) (24-9, 16-5)
|
Heart of America Tournament Champion
|
5 (DII)
|
3-5
|
0
|
|
William Woods (Mo.) (21-10, 14-2)
|
America Midwest Conference Champion
|
1
|
0-1
|
0
|
2008-09 NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball Top 25 Poll – March 11
|
RANK
|
LAST WEEK
|
SCHOOL
|
1ST PLACE VOTES
|
WON
|
LOST
|
TOTAL POINTS
|
|
1
|
1
|
Union (Tenn.)
|
12
|
31
|
1
|
312
|
|
2
|
2
|
Vanguard (Calif.)
|
|
29
|
3
|
302
|
|
3
|
3
|
Lambuth (Tenn.)
|
|
25
|
5
|
292
|
|
4
|
4
|
Oklahoma Baptist
|
|
29
|
4
|
277
|
|
5
|
6
|
Lee (Tenn.)
|
|
28
|
5
|
267
|
|
6
|
5
|
Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)
|
|
24
|
8
|
258
|
|
6
|
7
|
Saint Xavier (Ill.)
|
|
25
|
4
|
258
|
|
8
|
8
|
Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.)
|
|
25
|
6
|
241
|
|
9
|
9
|
Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.)
|
|
24
|
6
|
228
|
|
10
|
10
|
Lubbock Christian (Texas)
|
|
26
|
6
|
222
|
|
11
|
12
|
Cumberlands (Ky.)
|
|
27
|
4
|
213
|
|
12
|
13
|
Oklahoma City
|
|
28
|
5
|
205
|
|
13
|
11
|
Campbellsville (Ky.)
|
|
26
|
6
|
195
|
|
14
|
14
|
Southern Nazarene (Okla.)
|
|
24
|
7
|
181
|
|
15
|
15
|
Westminster (Utah)
|
|
26
|
6
|
161
|
|
16
|
17
|
Westmont (Calif.)
|
|
22
|
8
|
153
|
|
17
|
18
|
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
|
|
24
|
8
|
141
|
|
18
|
19
|
Azusa Pacific (Calif.)
|
|
22
|
10
|
137
|
|
19
|
16
|
Columbia (Mo.)
|
|
28
|
4
|
133
|
|
20
|
20
|
Loyola (La.)
|
|
23
|
6
|
122
|
|
21
|
23
|
Biola (Calif.)
|
|
19
|
11
|
95
|
|
22
|
24
|
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho)
|
|
23
|
7
|
94
|
|
23
|
21
|
Bethel (Tenn.)
|
|
19
|
12
|
92
|
|
24
|
25
|
William Woods (Mo.)
|
|
21
|
10
|
77
|
|
25
|
22
|
Auburn Montgomery (Ala.)
|
|
20
|
8
|
71
|
Others receiving votes: Langston (Okla.) 65; Wayland Baptist (Texas) 59; Evangel (Mo.) 40; LSU-Shreveport 29; The Master’s (Calif.) 18; St. Francis (Ill.) 10; William Jewell (Mo.) 8; McKendree (Ill.) 6; Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 6; Xavier (La.) 3; Benedictine (Kan.) 3; Avila (Mo.) 1; Be
