Thanks to a 7-0 start to the regular season and a victory over a ranked team in Pittsburg State, the Fort Hays State women’s basketball team was recognized in the latest iterations of both national Division II polls. The Tigers are receiving votes in the WBCA Coaches’ Poll and have been ranked 10th in the D2SIDA Media Poll, released Tuesday (Dec. 5) by both organizations. The coaches’ poll is comprised of ballots from 24 Division II coaches across the country, while the media poll is made up of votes from 16 sports information directors in Division II.
The Tigers picked up 18 points in the voting process in the coaches’ poll, placing them 15 points and four spots outside the top 25. FHSU earned 249 points in the media poll, three points clear of the 11th place team.
This is the first time this season the Tigers have been mentioned in the coaches’ poll. FHSU was receiving votes in last week’s rendition of the media poll. The media poll also includes a regional poll, in which the Tigers jumped to the No. 1 spot after defeating Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State over the weekend.
Fort Hays State has now been mentioned in the coaches’ poll six years in a row. The Tigers are 51-22 all-time while ranked in the Top 25 and 47-21 under head coach Tony Hobson.
Two other MIAA programs are ranked in the coaches poll, with Central Missouri slotted 10th and Central Oklahoma ranked 25th. Nine Central Region programs are recognized in the latest coaches poll, including six teams in front of FHSU. UCM is the top team in the region, with No. 14 Northern State, No. 19 Southwestern Oklahoma State and No. 23 Augustana joining the two MIAA programs in the top 25.
The Tigers are set to hit the road for the first time in nearly one month when they travel to play in-state rivals Washburn and Emporia State. First up is a date with the Ichabods Wednesday (Dec. 6) in Topeka.
Below is the WBCA Division II Coaches’ Poll for December 5, 2017, followed by the D2SIDA Women’s Basketball Media Poll.
2017-18 WBCA Division II Top 25 Coaches’ Poll
Rank Team (1st) Record Points Last Week
1 Ashland (24) 8-0 600 1
2 Alaska Anchorage 8-0 574 2
3 Bentley 8-0 553 3
4 West Texas A&M 7-0 517 5
5 Indiana (Pa.) 7-0 486 7
6 Lubbock Christian 9-1 451 8
7 Drury 7-10 401 9
8 Carson-Newman 9-0 383 15
9 Virginia Union 7-1 360 10
10 Central Missouri 5-1 347 12
11 California (Pa.) 7-1 346 4
12 Rollins 7-1 297 6
13 Azusa Pacific 11-1 277 17
14 Northern State 6-1 276 16
15 Wingate 6-1 258 14
16 Edinboro 7-0 229 24
17 University of the Sciences 6-0 219 20
18 Michigan Tech 8-1 194 18
19 Southwestern Oklahoma St. 8-0 167 25
20 Fort Lewis 6-1 166 11
21 Seattle Pacific 6-1 153 13
22 Southern Indiana 8-0 123 RV
23 Augustana 7-0 95 RV
24 Cedarville 5-1 92 RV
25 Central Oklahoma 6-1 33 21Others receiving votes: Grand Valley State (7-1) 21; Minnesota State Moorhead (5-1) 20; Glenville State (6-1) 19; Colorado Mesa (8-0) 18; Fort Hays State (7-0) 18; Union (TN) (7-1) 17; Montana State Billings (7-0) 14; North Georgia (5-1) 10; Southeastern Oklahoma State (5-2) 10; Pittsburg State (6-2) 8; Stonehill (5-1) 8; Lander (5-2) 7; Embry Riddle (6-1) 5. Seven teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 26 combined points.
2017-18 D2SIDA Women’s Basketball Week 3 Media National Poll
Rank Team (1st) Record Points Last Week
1 Ashland (15) 8-0 399 1
2 Alaska Anchorage (1) 8-0 378 2
3 IUP 7-0 357 4
4 Bentley 8-0 352 3
5 Lubbock Christian 9-1 327 7
6 Carson-Newman 9-0 315 8
7 West Texas A&M 7-0 287 9
8 Rollins 7-1 268 5
9 Southern Indiana 8-0 256 14
10 Fort Hays State 7-0 249 RV
11 USciences 6-0 246 13
12 Azusa Pacific 11-1 229 15
13 Edinboro 7-0 212 16
T14 Southwestern Oklahoma 8-0 171 25
T14 Michigan Tech 8-1 171 18
16 Wingate 6-1 129 24
T17 Union 7-1 124 RV
T17 Colorado Mesa 8-0 124 RV
19 St. Thomas Aquinas 7-0 123 22
20 Augustana 7-0 92 NR
21 Virginia Union 7-1 83 NR
22 Drury 7-1 58 NR
23 North Alabama 7-0 55 NR
24 UC San Diego 6-2 47 RV
25 Black Hills State 8-0 37 NR
Others receiving votes: Lander (31), California (21), Arkansas Tech (19), Seattle Pacific (13), Eckerd (6), Grand Valley (5) Limestone (3)