Already tabbed the favorite to win the Frontier Conference title by the league coaches, the Lewis-Clark State College women’s basketball team was picked to be one of the top 16 teams in the country in the NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball Coaches Preseason Top 25 poll, which was released on Tuesday.
The Warriors, who finished No. 22 in the poll last season, are picked to be No. 16. The Warriors drew 129 points and trail No. 15 Southern Nazarene University by 19 points.
Defending national champion Union begins the season as the No. 1 team for the fourth straight season, followed by No. 2 Vangaard, also for the fourth straight year. Union has won three national titles in the last five years, while Vanguard the other two of the 11 first-place votes in the poll.
Fellow Frontier Conference member Carroll College is ranked No. 23, while Westminster was two spots out of cracking the Top 25. Montana State-Northern also drew votes in the poll.
Azusa Pacific, ranked No. 10, is on LCSC’s schedule twice this season. The first meeting is Nov. 5 in Azusa, Calif., and the second meeting is Nov. 14 during the Staples Classic at Lewiston High School’s Booth Hall.
LCSC, which lost only two seniors from last year’s squad, which won the Frontier Conference Tournament title, opens play on Sunday in a 2 p.m. exhibition contest at Washington State University. The Warriors kick off the regular season next Monday at 6 p.m. at home against Northwest Christian University.
2009-10 NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll - (Oct. 26)
|
RANK
|
LAST POLL^
|
SCHOOL (1st Place Votes)
|
2008-09 RECORD*
|
TOTAL POINTS
|
|
1
|
1
|
Union University (Tenn.) (9)
|
37-1
|
280
|
|
2
|
2
|
Vanguard University (Calif.) (2)
|
31-4
|
272
|
|
3
|
4
|
Oklahoma Baptist University
|
32-5
|
261
|
|
4
|
8
|
Point Loma Nazarene University (Calif.)
|
27-7
|
250
|
|
5
|
5
|
Lee University (Tenn.)
|
30-6
|
238
|
|
6
|
6
|
Freed-Hardeman University (Tenn.)
|
25-9
|
232
|
|
7
|
6
|
Saint Xavier University (Ill.)
|
26-5
|
224
|
|
8
|
12
|
Oklahoma City University
|
31-6
|
220
|
|
9
|
9
|
Lambuth University (Tenn.)
|
29-5
|
209
|
|
10
|
18
|
Azusa Pacific University (Calif.)
|
23-11
|
194
|
|
11
|
13
|
Campbellsville University (Ky.)
|
26-7
|
193
|
|
12
|
11
|
University of the Cumberlands (Ky.)
|
29-5
|
172
|
|
13
|
9
|
Trevecca Nazarene University (Tenn.)
|
25-8
|
171
|
|
14
|
19
|
Columbia College (Mo.)
|
29-5
|
158
|
|
15
|
14
|
Southern Nazarene University (Okla.)
|
24-8
|
148
|
|
16
|
22
|
Lewis-Clark State College (Idaho)
|
23-8
|
129
|
|
17
|
17
|
Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.)
|
25-9
|
127
|
|
18
|
16
|
Westmont College (Calif.)
|
22-9
|
123
|
|
19
|
10
|
Lubbock Christian University (Texas)
|
27-7
|
117
|
|
20
|
23
|
Bethel University (Tenn.)
|
19-13
|
112
|
|
21
|
20
|
Loyola University (La.)
|
23-7
|
107
|
|
22
|
25
|
Auburn University Montgomery (Ala.)
|
20-9
|
98
|
|
23
|
NR
|
Carroll College (Mont.)
|
15-16
|
80
|
|
24
|
RV
|
Evangel University (Mo.)
|
21-10
|
65
|
|
25
|
21
|
Biola University (Calif.)
|
20-12
|
61
|
Others receiving votes: William Woods University (Mo.) 55; Westminster College (Utah) 45; Xavier University (La.) 37; The Master's College (Calif.) 19; Wayland Baptist University (Texas) 13; Langston University (Okla.) 13; Shorter College (Ga.) 6; University of St. Francis (Ill.) 6; Louisiana State University-Shreveport 5; McKendree University (Ill.) 4; Montana State University-Northern 3; Georgetown College (Ky.) 3; Indiana University-South Bend 1; Benedictine College (Kan.) 1; Morris College (S.C.) 1; William Jewell College (Mo.) 1; Pikeville College (Ky.) 1; Rogers State University (Okla.) 1
^Final Ranking of 2008-09 Season on March 11, 2009
*2008-09 Final Record
^Final Ranking of 2008-09 Season on March 11, 2009
*2008-09 Final Record
