William Penn Up to 6th in First Rating
William Penn Football defeats Iowa Wesleyan in it's first ever game at the new stadium
Oskaloosa–Courtesy of its undefeated start and a couple early upsets, the Statesmen football team has jumped a pair of positions as the first NAIA top-25 poll was released Monday.
William Penn (3-0) is now #6 with 272 points, leaping two spots and garnering 47 more points since the preseason. It is the new highest ranking for the program since joining the NAIA in 2001.
The top five has been scrambled since the preseason poll with defending national champion Carroll (Mont.) getting upset by now #12 Eastern Oregon last Saturday, 41-33.
With all 15 first-place votes, the new #1 is Saint Xavier (Ill.) from the Mid-States Football Association’s Mideast League, while fellow MEL squads St. Francis (Ind.) and Marian (Ind.) are second and fourth. Morningside sits in third and Carroll rounds out the top five.
While the Mideast League is dominating at the top, the Midwest League is also strong with St. Francis (Ill.) in a tie at #24. St. Ambrose is unofficially 27th and Grand View is 38th.
The Statesmen remain the second-highest team from the state of Iowa behind Morningside. #16 Northwestern also represents the state in the top 25.
William Penn returns home Saturday to host Waldorf in MWL action at 6 p.m.
NAIA Football Preseason Rating – September 12, 2011
(Number in parentheses is first-place votes)
(Iowa Institutions bolded)
1. Saint Xavier (Ill.) (15)
2. St. Francis (Ind.)
3. Morningside
4. Marian (Ind.)
5. Carroll (Mont.)
6. William Penn
7. Missouri Valley
8. Georgetown (Ky.)
9. MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.)
10. Cumberlands (Ky.)
11. Midland (Neb.)
12. Eastern Oregon
13. Southern Nazarene (Okla.)
14. Benedictine (Kan.)
15. Azusa Pacific (Calif.)
16. Northwestern
17. Campbellsville (Ky.)
18. Langston (Okla.)
19. Bethany (Kan.)
20. Rocky Mountain (Mont.)
21. Shorter (Ga.)
21. Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.)
23. Montana State-Northern
24. Ottawa (Kan.)
25. St. Francis (Ill.)
Others receiving votes: Baker (Kan.) 31; St. Ambrose 22; Valley City State (N.D.) 16; Evangel (Mo.) 14; Friends (Kan.) 13; Cumberland (Tenn.) 13; Doane (Neb.) 12; Menlo (Calif.) 11; Pikeville (Ky.) 6; Taylor (Ind.) 4; Northwestern Oklahoma State 1; Union (Ky.) 1; Grand View 1.
