2017 NAIA Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Top 25 Poll — No. 4
Story by Chad Waller, NAIA Director of Athletics Communications & Media
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – With a perfect 9-0-0 record,Martin Methodist (Tenn.) sits in the No. 1 position for the second-straight week in the 2017 NAIA Women’s Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Tuesday. The fifth regular-season installment will be issued on Oct. 3.
Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 1999)
- Martin Methodist was the unanimous No. 1 pick with 18 first-place votes and 498 total nods. The 9-0-0 start is the best in program history since the 2006 club rattled off nine-straight wins to begin the year.
- On the year, the RedHawks have out-scored their opponents by a 41-6 count in nine matches. The 12-1 victory against Cumberlands (Ky.) on Sept. 22 was the largest margin of victory on the season.
- Martin Methodist is tied with No. 5 Columbia (Mo.) and No. 11 The Master’s (Calif.) for the most victories thus far in the NAIA with nine.
- No. 21 Oklahoma Wesleyan, No. 24 Georgia Gwinnett and No. 25 Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) are the newcomers to the Top 25. Oklahoma Wesleyan was last mentioned on Nov. 10, 2015, while Cardinal Stritch was recognized earlier this year. The Grizzlies earn their first-ever Top 25 ranking.
- No. 12 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) boasts the longest active streak in the Top 25 with 199-consecutive mentions dating back to the start of the 1999 season. The Blue Raiders are outside the top 10 for the first time in 168-straight polls. Behind Lindsey Wilson on the active list is No. 2 Spring Arbor (Mich.) at 77-straight Top 25 mentions and No. 8 Keiser (Fla.) at 75-straight.
- The Blue Raiders also own the most No. 1 rankings since 1999 with 58, followed by former member Azusa Pacific (Calif.) with 32, Westmont (Calif.) and former member Concordia (Ore.) with 19, former member Lee (Tenn.) at 16 and Spring Arbor with 14.
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
2017 NAIA Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – No. 4 (Sept. 26)
| RANK | LAST WEEK | SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) | 2017 RECORD | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | Martin Methodist (Tenn.) (18) | 9-0-0 | 498 |
| 2 | 2 | Spring Arbor (Mich.) | 8-1-0 | 482 |
| 3 | 3 | University of Northwestern Ohio | 6-1-1 | 466 |
| 4 | 6 | William Carey (Miss.) | 7-0-0 | 445 |
| 5 | 5 | Columbia (Mo.) | 9-0-0 | 437 |
| 6 | 4 | Westmont (Calif.) | 7-1-1 | 419 |
| 7 | 7 | Vanguard (Calif.) | 6-3-0 | 402 |
| 8 | 8 | Keiser (Fla.) | 6-1-1 | 380 |
| 9 | 9 | Mobile (Ala.) | 6-1-0 | 371 |
| 10 | 11 | Ottawa (Kan.) | 5-1-1 | 348 |
| 11 | 12 | The Master’s (Calif.) | 9-1-0 | 330 |
| 12 | 10 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 2-3-3 | 310 |
| 13 | 13 | Central Methodist (Mo.) | 8-0-1 | 309 |
| 14 | 14 | Southeastern (Fla.) | 6-0-0 | 302 |
| 15 | 15 | Benedictine (Kan.) | 7-1-0 | 288 |
| 16 | 20 | Marian (Ind.) | 7-2-0 | 254 |
| 17 | 19 | Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) | 6-3-0 | 230 |
| 18 | 18 | Midland (Neb.) | 6-1-1 | 216 |
| 19 | 20 | Hastings (Neb.) | 7-1-1 | 213 |
| 20 | 17 | Taylor (Ind.) | 7-2-0 | 181 |
| 21 | NR | Oklahoma Wesleyan | 5-1-1 | 167 |
| 22 | 22 | Science & Arts (Okla.) | 5-2-1 | 163 |
| 23 | 16 | John Brown (Ark.) | 6-2-0 | 149 |
| 24 | NR | Georgia Gwinnett | 4-3-1 | 132 |
| 25 | NR | Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) | 4-2-1 | 85 |
Dropped from Top 25: No. 23 Cumberland (Tenn.); No. 24 Trinity Christian (Ill.); No. 25 Tennessee Wesleyan.
Others Receiving Votes: Tennessee Wesleyan 77; St. Thomas (Texas) 55; Cumberland (Tenn.) 44; Indiana Wesleyan 30; MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 28; Trinity Christian (Ill.) 20; Jamestown (N.D.) 13; Carroll (Mont.) 12; Antelope Valley (Calif.) 12; Bethel (Tenn.) 11; SCAD Savannah (Ga.) 9; Grace (Ind.) 8; Park (Mo.) 7; Georgetown (Ky.) 6; Menlo (Calif.) 5; Baker (Kan.) 4; Corban (Ore.) 3; Siena Heights (Mich.) 3.