Story by Chad Waller, NAIA Director of Athletics Communications & Media
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Martin Methodist (Tenn.) owns the top spot for the fourth-straight week in the sixth regular-season edition of the 2017 NAIA Women’s Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Tuesday. With a 12-0-0 record, the RedHawks gathered all 18 first-place votes and 498 total points.
Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 1999)
- Top-ranked Martin Methodist (Tenn.) notches its 14th all-time No. 1 mention, which is tied for sixth all-time.
- The RedHawks are tied with No. 9 The Master’s (Calif.) with the second-most wins in the NAIA with 12. No. 5 Columbia (Mo.) is first on that list with a 13-0-0 mark.
- Riding three-consecutive shutouts, Martin Methodist has held its opponent scoreless in eight of 12 matches.
- Newcomer No. 25 St. Ambrose (Iowa) finds itself in the rankings for the first time in 2017. The Bees were last mentioned on Oct. 4, 2016 in the No. 13 position.
- No. 22 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) boasts the longest active streak in the Top 25 with 201-consecutive mentions dating back to the start of the 1999 season. Behind Lindsey Wilson on the active list is No. 2 Spring Arbor (Mich.) at 79-straight Top 25 mentions and No. 7 Keiser (Fla.) at 77-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, Spring Arbor and Martin Methodist 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. 6 (Oct. 10)
| RANK | LAST WEEK | SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) | 2017 RECORD | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | Martin Methodist (Tenn.) (18) | 12-0-0 | 498 |
| 2 | 2 | Spring Arbor (Mich.) | 11-1-0 | 482 |
| 3 | 3 | University of Northwestern Ohio | 10-1-1 | 466 |
| 4 | 4 | William Carey (Miss.) | 10-0-0 | 448 |
| 5 | 5 | Columbia (Mo.) | 13-0-0 | 429 |
| 6 | 7 | Vanguard (Calif.) | 10-3-0 | 425 |
| 7 | 8 | Keiser (Fla.) | 10-1-1 | 399 |
| 8 | 6 | Westmont (Calif.) | 10-2-1 | 389 |
| 9 | 9 | The Master's (Calif.) | 12-2-0 | 358 |
| 10 | 10 | Central Methodist (Mo.) | 11-0-2 | 341 |
| 11 | 13 | Mobile (Ala.) | 9-2-0 | 330 |
| 12 | 11 | Southeastern (Fla.) | 8-1-0 | 316 |
| 13 | 15 | Oklahoma Wesleyan | 9-1-1 | 309 |
| 14 | 16 | Ottawa (Kan.) | 8-2-1 | 288 |
| 15 | 17 | Marian (Ind.) | 10-2-0 | 266 |
| 16 | 14 | Benedictine (Kan.) | 8-1-2 | 263 |
| 17 | 25 | Cumberland (Tenn.) | 7-3-1 | 220 |
| 18 | 19 | Midland (Neb.) | 9-1-1 | 219 |
| 19 | 18 | Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) | 9-3-0 | 215 |
| 20 | 20 | Hastings (Neb.) | 10-1-1 | 200 |
| 21 | 23 | John Brown (Ark.) | 10-2-0 | 183 |
| 22 | 12 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 4-4-3 | 171 |
| 23 | 22 | Science & Arts (Okla.) | 9-2-1 | 158 |
| 24 | 24 | Georgia Gwinnett | 7-3-1 | 155 |
| 25 | NR | St. Ambrose (Iowa) | 9-1-2 | 88 |
Dropped from Top 25: No. 21 Taylor (Ind.)
Others Receiving Votes: Taylor (Ind.) 60; Jamestown (N.D.) 57; Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) 45; Baker (Kan.) 33; Eastern Oregon 31; St. Thomas (Texas) 24; Antelope Valley (Calif.) 23; Trinity International (Ill.) 18; St. Thomas (Fla.) 16; Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 8; Indiana Wesleyan 8; LSU Alexandria (La.) 3; Milligan (Tenn.) 3.
