Penn Up to 13th in Second Last Poll
William Penn University Athletics
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen football team is in about as good of a position nationally as it could hope for as the NAIA’s ninth poll was released today.
Courtesy of its win and Missouri Valley’s loss, Penn (9-1, 5-1 MWL) moved up to #13 with 219 points. The Statesmen defeated Waldorf 58-10 last Saturday.
The playoff picture is still quite confusing, but a win Saturday against St. Francis (Ill.) in the regular season finale (1 p.m. kickoff) can only bolster Penn’s chances.
For the 25th week in a row, Sioux Falls (S.D.) (9-0) heads the ranking with 416 points and 15 of the 18 first-place votes. The rest of the top five is still the same with Carroll (Mont.), Saint Xavier (Ill.), MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), and Lindenwood (Mo.) holding their spots from last week. Carroll, with two, and Saint Xavier, with one, are also earning first-place votes.
McKendree is just one spot ahead of the Statesmen for the head of the Midwest League class at #12, while St. Francis (Ill.) is tied for 21st. Grand View, also of the MWL, is tied for 30th with one vote.
The Statesmen are still the second-highest team from the state of Iowa behind #7 Morningside.
NAIA Football Rating #9 – November 8, 2010
(Number in parentheses is first-place votes)
(Iowa Institutions bolded)
1. Sioux Falls (S.D.) (15)
2. Carroll (Mont.) (2)
3. Saint Xavier (Ill.) (1)
4. MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.)
5. Lindenwood (Mo.)
6. McPherson (Kan.)
7. Morningside
8. Ottawa (Kan.)
9. Dickinson State (N.D.)
10. St. Francis (Ind.)
11. Marian (Ind.)
12. McKendree (Ill.)
13. William Penn
14. Missouri Valley
15. Northwestern
16. Northwestern Oklahoma State
17. Cumberland (Tenn.)
18. Georgetown (Ky.)
19. Midland (Neb.)
20. Walsh (Ohio)
21. St. Francis (Ill.)
21. Azusa Pacific (Calif.)
23. Langston (Okla.)
24. South Dakota Mines & Tech
25. Kansas Wesleyan
Others receiving votes: Cumberlands (Ky.) 21; Benedictine (Kan.) 5; Webber International (Fla.) 4; Campbellsville (Ky.) 3; Minot State (N.D.) 1; Friends (Kan.) 1; Southern Nazarene (Okla.) 1; Black Hills State (S.D.); Sterling (Kan.); Grand View 1.
Wade Steinlage
