December 18, 2025
MADISON, S.D. – Dakota State (S.D.) remained at No. 4 ranking in the third installment of the 2025-26 NAIA Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 national poll, announced Wednesday afternoon by the conference office. DSU collected 481 points to the national poll, earning 13 more points from the previous national poll on Nov. 26.
The Trojans boast a 12-1 overall record and a perfect 7-0 mark in Frontier Conference play while riding a nine-game winning streak. Dakota State has been unbeatable at home with 7-0 record and continues to show their depth and efficiency on the road, with recent wins over (RV) Montana State University-Northern and (RV) Providence (Mont.) to cap off a strong December stretch.
Senior
Tabor Teel leads the charge this season with 200 points on 54.5 percent field goal shooting, while junior guards
Caitlin Dyer and
Cierra Watkins added a combined 324 points, both shooting 50 percent or better from the field.
DSU's offensive versatility is evident with multiple players contributing from beyond the arc—
Hamtyn Heinz and
Mackenzi Simmons have combined for 50 3-pointers—while the team's defense has held opponents under 65 points four times in the last five games.
Bethel (Tenn.) became the new No. 1 team in the NAIA Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 poll with 534 points, holding an overall record of 13-0. Dordt (Iowa) fell to No. 2 ranking with 10-1 overall record and 510 points. Campbellsville (Ky.) remained at No. 3 ranking with 13-0 overall record and 505 points.
Five other Frontier Conference members are also listed in the latest edition of the national poll. Montana Tech rose 11 spots from No. 25 to No. 14 with an overall record of 10-1. Rocky Mountain (Mont.) fell to No. 17 with 7-4 overall record, while Carroll (Mont.) also dropped to No. 24 with 7-5 overall record. MSU-Northern (7-3 overall record) and Providence (Mont.) (8-3 overall record) were listed in the receiving votes (RV) section.
Dakota State enters their Christmas break and returns to action on the first weekend of the New Year 2026. The Trojans travel to No. 24 Carroll on Friday, Jan. 2, and No. 17 Rocky Mountain (Mont.) on Saturday, Jan. 3.
DSU concludes their Frontier Conference's six-game road stretch on the following weekend, at Bismarck State (N.D.) on Jan. 9 and at Dickinson State (N.D.) on Jan. 10 before returning home at DSU Fieldhouse on Jan. 16 versus Montana Tech in the Ag Ball contest.
The fourth edition of the NAIA Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 national poll is set to be released on Jan. 14, 2026.
Below is the complete list of the 2025-26 NAIA Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 national poll No. 3 edition:
| RANK |
LAST TIME |
SCHOOL [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] |
RECORD |
POINTS |
| 1 |
2 |
Bethel (Tenn.) [14] |
13-0 |
534 |
| 2 |
1 |
Dordt (Iowa) [4] |
10-1 |
510 |
| 3 |
3 |
Campbellsville (Ky.) [1] |
13-0 |
505 |
| 4 |
4 |
Dakota State (S.D.) |
12-1 |
481 |
| 5 |
5 |
Marian (Ind.) |
11-0 |
479 |
| 6 |
7 |
Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) |
12-0 |
458 |
| 7 |
6 |
Saint Francis (Ind.) |
9-1 |
418 |
| 8 |
13 |
Rio Grande (Ohio) |
9-1 |
380 |
| 9 |
9 |
Concordia (Neb.) |
10-2 |
378 |
| 10 |
14 |
Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) |
7-4 |
337 |
| 11 |
12 |
MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) |
9-2 |
336 |
| 12 |
18 |
Cumberlands (Ky.) |
13-1 |
307 |
| 13 |
8 |
Briar Cliff (Iowa) |
11-3 |
296 |
| 14 |
25 |
Montana Tech |
10-1 |
285 |
| 15 |
10 |
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) |
8-3 |
284 |
| 16 |
17 |
St. Francis (Ill.) |
12-0 |
205 |
| 17 |
15 |
Rocky Mountain (Mont.) |
7-4 |
191 |
| 18 |
22 |
Corban (Ore.) |
9-1 |
187 |
| 19 |
11 |
Langston (Okla.) |
10-2 |
170 |
| 20 |
RV |
Huntington (Ind.) |
9-3 |
132 |
| 20 |
21 |
Oregon Tech |
6-4 |
132 |
| 22 |
20 |
Indiana Tech |
7-3 |
131 |
| 23 |
RV |
Mid-America Christian (Okla.) |
10-3 |
118 |
| 24 |
16 |
Carroll (Mont.) |
7-4 |
117 |
| 25 |
23 |
Georgetown (Ky.) |
13-1 |
116 |
Dropped from Top 25: Southeastern (Fla.), Indiana Wesleyan
Receiving Votes: William Carey (Miss.) 95, Southeastern (Fla.) 94, Columbia (Mo.) 78, Evangel (Mo.) 67, Southern Oregon 55, Indiana Wesleyan 49, Friends (Kan.) 44, Hastings (Neb.) 40, Loyola (La.) 39, Eastern Oregon 39, Taylor (Ind.) 38, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 33, Grand View (Iowa) 29, Shawnee State (Ohio) 15, Montana State-Northern 10, Saint Xavier (Ill.) 8, Providence (Mont.) 8, Science and Arts (Okla.) 6, Lourdes (Ohio) 2, LSU Shreveport (La.) 2.
