Clayton State women's basketball remains #1 in the nation
MORROW, GA – The Clayton State women's basketball team remained the nation's #1 ranked team in the latest edition of the USA Today Sports/ESPN Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll released Tuesday.
Clayton State (26-0; 19-0 PBC) defeated Columbus State 80-47 in its only game last week. The Lakers are the lone undefeated team (women's or men's) at the NCAA Division II level.
The program has been the nation's top-ranked team at some point in each of the last three years. The Lakers were #1 in the 2010-11 NCAA Division II national championship season and opened the 2011-12 season as the nation's top-ranked team.
Clayton State received 29 first place votes and a total of 725 points in the poll, which is conducted by 33 NCAA Division II coaches. Ashland (28-1) is ranked No. 2 in the country, followed by Bentley (26-1) at No. 3.
Along with Clayton State, two other Peach Belt schools in the rankings are Augusta State and USC Aiken. The Jaguars (22-6) are ranked 24th, followed by the Pacers (20-6) at No. 25. Besides the Lakers, the top squad from Clayton State's Southeast Region is Limestone, which is ranked eighth in the country with a 24-2 record.
The Clayton State women's basketball program is 90-5 (.947) over the last three years, the top winning percentage of any program at the NCAA Division II level. The Lakers have been ranked in the Top-25 in 73 straight national polls. The last time the Lakers weren't ranked among the country's Top-25 teams dates back five years ago in the Jan. 6th poll in the 2008-09 season.
Out of over 1,000 teams competing at the NCAA Division I, II and III levels, there are only two women's basketball programs that have fewer losses than Clayton State's five. Both Baylor University, at the NCAA Division I level, and Amherst College, at the NCAA Division III level, have four losses over the last three years.
Clayton State will return to action on Thursday in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament hosted by Columbus State. The Lakers, the top seed from the West Division, will face Armstrong on Thursday at 5 p.m.
March 5, 2013
USA TODAY Sports Division II Top 25 women's basketball poll, with first-place votes to the right, total points based on 25 points for first place through one point for 25th.
Rank Institution - First Place Votes Previous Rank Record Total Points
1 Clayton State University (Ga.) - 29 1 26-0 725
2 Ashland University (Ohio) 2 28-1 688
3 Bentley University (Mass.) 3 26-1 666
4 Colorado Mesa University 4 25-1 640
5 Holy Family University (Pa.) 6 25-2 561
6 Western Washington University 7 23-3 550
7 Gannon University (Pa.) 8 26-3 539
8 Limestone College (S.C.) 9 24-2 514
9 Washburn University (Kan.) 5 22-4 506
10 Simon Fraser University (BC) 10 22-4 467
11 Dowling College (N.Y.) 14 23-3 403
12 Stonehill College (Mass.) 11 23-4 339
13 University of Central Missouri 13 22-4 338
14 California State University - Chico 15 22-4 330
T15 Glenville State College (W.Va.) 12 26-3 303
T15 Shaw University (N.C.) 16 25-4 303
17 Minnesota State University - Mankato 17 24-4 281
18 Edinboro University (Pa.) 18 21-5 236
19 University of Findlay (Ohio) 19 22-4 224
20 Concordia University (Minn.) 20 23-5 182
21 Lewis University (Ill.) NR 21-5 103
22 Fayetteville State University (N.C.) 22 24-5 100
23 New York Institute of Technology 23 22-4 83
24 Augusta State University (Ga.) NR 22-6 57
25 University of South Carolina - Aiken 21 20-6 45
Dropped Out: Grand Canyon University (Ariz.); Truman State University (Mo.).
Others Receiving Votes: Augustana College (S.D.) 41; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania 37; Assumption College (Mass.) 25; Grand Canyon University (Ariz.) 17; Abilene Christian University (Texas) 14; Fairmont State University (W.Va.) 12; Midwestern State University (Texas) 12; Arkansas Tech University 8; Millersville University of Pennsylvania 8; Fort Hays State University (Kan.) 7; Indiana University of Pennsylvania 7; Southwestern Oklahoma State University 7; Elizabeth City State University (N.C.) 6; Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania 6; Delta State University (Miss.) 5; Truman State University (Mo.) 5; California State University - Monterey Bay 4; Anderson University (S.C.) 3; Northeastern State University (Okla.) 3; Pfeiffer University (N.C.) 3; University of Texas of the Permian Basin 3; Lenoir-Rhyne University (N.C.) 2; University of Indianapolis (Ind.) 2; Wayne State University (Mich.) 2; Harding University (Ark.) 1; Nova Southeastern University (Fla.) 1.
