Losses Help William Penn Move to #2
William Penn University Athletics
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen men’s basketball team can turn its frown way upside down today as Tuesday’s NAIA Division I poll has WPU at #2.
William Penn (18-3, 14-3 Heart), which had its seven-game winning streak snapped last night to rival Grand View, went a perfect 4-0 during the last rating period. Helped by losses to former #2 Georgetown (Ky.) and #3 Columbia (Mo.), the Statesmen are now second in the fourth poll with 235 points. It is the program’s highest ranking ever as a member of Division I and it is the highest ranking since also being #2 in Division II on March 20, 2013.
The navy and gold are joined by #15 Grand View and #24 Benedictine as Heart of America Athletic Conference programs inside the top 25, while Mount Mercy (#32) and Graceland (#33) represent the league in the receiving votes section.
Undefeated LSU Alexandria, with 250 points and all 10 first-place votes, tops the poll yet again, while Georgetown, Dalton State (Ga.), and Columbia follow WPU to round out the top five.
William Penn hosts Avila Thursday in Heart action at 7:30 p.m.
NAIA Men’s Basketball Rating #4 – January 31, 2016
(Number in parentheses in first-place votes)
1. LSU Alexandria (10)
2. William Penn
3. Georgetown (Ky.)
4. Dalton State (Ga.)
5. Columbia (Mo.)
6. Biola (Calif.)
7. Wiley (Texas)
8. Carroll (Mont.)
9. Texas Wesleyan
10. Cumberlands (Ky.)
11. Dillard (La.)
12. Westmont (Calif.)
13. Montana Western
14. Pikeville (Ky.)
15. Grand View
16. Talladega (Ala.)
17. LSU Shreveport (La.)
18. Oklahoma City
19. William Carey (Miss.)
20. William Jessup (Calif.)
21. SAGU (Texas)
22. Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)
23. The Master’s (Calif.)
24. Benedictine (Kan.)
25. Our Lady of the Lake (Texas)
Others receiving votes: Hope International (Calif.) 50; Park (Mo.) 44; Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 33; Southwestern Christian (Okla.) 19; Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 13; Faulkner (Ala.) 9; Mount Mercy 7; Graceland 4; Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 4.
