October 23, 2024
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced the Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Poll Wednesday morning by the national office. Dakota State (S.D.) cracked into the NAIA's Top 10 Preseason Poll for the second straight year, posting the highest ranking since the 2007-08 season. In addition, it was the highest ranking for Dakota State during the NAIA Division I era.
The Trojans are ranked No. 6 in the 2024-25 NAIA Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Poll after earning 432 points. Dakota State finished another successful season with an overall record of 28-7, including a trip to the national quarterfinals for the third time in the last four seasons. DSU also hosted the NAIA National Tournament First and Second Rounds for the first time in school history.
Dakota State's highest ranking came in during the 2007-08 season where they were ranked No. 5 during the regular season (during the NAIA Division II Women's Basketball era). The Trojans were ranked No. 9 in the final ranking last season.
DSU was picked unanimously to win the North Star Athletic Association Women's Basketball title, voted by the league head coaches. The Trojans had won four consecutive NSAA conference regular-season titles, the first time since the 1980's decade that DSU had won at least four straight conference titles (in the former South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference).
Dakota State put together an impressive 51-3 league regular-season record (.944 winning percentage) during the past four seasons. The Trojans also had won 59 times in the last 63 home games at DSU Fieldhouse since Jan. 22, 2020.
DSU is facing a challenging preseason schedule where they will face four of the NAIA's Top 10 preseason teams, kicking off their regular season in the Cattle Classic versus No. 10 ranked Southern Oregon on Nov. 1.
After the Cattle Classic, the Trojans then face rival No. 9 ranked Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) in the annual Battle of the Blues at the Corn Palace on Nov. 6. Dakota State returns home on Nov. 9 versus No. 5 ranked Concordia (Neb.), then plays at the Sanford Sports Complex against NAIA's defending national champion and preseason No. 1 ranked Dordt (Iowa) on Nov. 13.
The poll is publicity purposes only and has no weight or bearing in the selection process for national championship field consideration. A panel of head coaches representing each conference, and the Continental Athletic Conference (Independents) voted in the poll.
The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter votes the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second-place, 28 for third-place, and so on through the list.
Dakota State plays an exhibition game on Friday at Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.) and Monday at Northern State (S.D.).
Below is the complete 2024-25 NAIA Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 preseason poll:
| RANK |
INSTITUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] |
2023-24 RECORD |
POINTS |
| 1 |
Dordt (Iowa) [12] |
35-2 |
532 |
| 2 |
Providence (Mont.) [7] |
27-9 |
525 |
| 3 |
Indiana Wesleyan [1] |
29-5 |
496 |
| 4 |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
31-2 |
470 |
| 5 |
Concordia (Neb.) |
27-7 |
452 |
| 6 |
Dakota State (S.D.) |
28-7 |
432 |
| 7 |
Cumberlands (Ky.) |
26-10 |
422 |
| 8 |
Carroll (Mont.) |
28-6 |
412 |
| 9 |
Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) |
22-11 |
357 |
| 10 |
Southern Oregon |
28-5 |
330 |
| 11 |
Georgetown (Ky.) |
25-7 |
326 |
| 12 |
Indiana Tech |
30-4 |
298 |
| 13 |
Loyola (La.) |
26-5 |
289 |
| 14 |
LSU Shreveport (La.) |
30-3 |
252 |
| 15 |
Rio Grande (Ohio) |
26-6 |
235 |
| 16 |
Mayville State (S.D.) |
26-4 |
230 |
| 17 |
Grand View (Iowa) |
27-5 |
216 |
| 18 |
Wayland Baptist (Texas) |
23-9 |
200 |
| 19 |
Northwestern (Iowa) |
19-12 |
192 |
| 20 |
Oregon Tech |
27-5 |
181 |
| 21 |
Rocky Mountain (Mont.) |
16-13 |
163 |
| 22 |
Saint Francis (Ind.) |
18-11 |
151 |
| 23 |
Briar Cliff (Iowa) |
24-10 |
139 |
| 24 |
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) |
26-6 |
125 |
| 25 |
IU South Bend (Ind.) |
31-2 |
124 |
Receiving Votes: The Master's (Calif.) 115, Marian (Ind.) 102, Jamestown (N.D.) 91, William Carey (Miss.) 57, Pikeville (Ky.) 50, Tabor (Kan.) 47, Benedictine (Kan.) 43, Mid-America Christian (Okla.) 39, Stephens (Mo.) 35, Southeastern (Fla.) 22, Oakland City (Ind.) 15, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 13, Arizona Christian 12, Saint Xavier (Ill.) 12, Langston (Okla.) 11, Xavier (La.) 9, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 6, Milligan (Tenn.) 5, Columbia (Mo.) 4.
