Statesmen Remain 16th
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Oskaloosa–The William Penn men’s basketball team was not the only program to suffer defeat lately, and therefore the Statesmen were not hurt nationally as the NAIA released its sixth Division I rating Tuesday.
WPU (20-8, 14-8 Heart) did not budge since the last poll, once again sitting at #16 with 109 points. The navy and gold now extended their streak of being inside the top 20 to 36 polls, dating back to December 2015.
Heart of America Athletic Conference foe Benedictine, winners of 25 in a row, is the new #1 with 219 points and eight first-place votes. Previous #1 LSU Alexandria is second with the last top nod, while Georgetown (Ky.) is third. Tougaloo (Miss.), The Master’s (Calif.), and Stillman (Ala.) are all tied for fifth in the nation.
Peru State also represents the Heart at #24.
WPU remains in Oskaloosa Wednesday, hosting Central Methodist in Heart action at 5:30 p.m.
NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Rating #6 – February 26, 2019
(Number in parentheses is first-place votes)
1. Benedictine (Kan.) (8)
2. LSU Alexandria (1)
3. Georgetown (Ky.)
4. Tougaloo (Miss.)
5. Stillman (Ala.)
5. Wayland Baptist (Texas)
5. The Master’s (Calif.)
8. Missouri Baptist
9. Carroll (Mont.)
10. Wiley (Texas)
10. Vanguard (Calif.)
12. Lewis-Clark State (Idaho)
13. Pikeville (Ky.)
14. William Carey (Miss.)
15. LSU Shreveport
16. William Penn
17. Bethel (Tenn.)
18. John Brown (Ark.)
19. William Jessup (Calif.)
20. Talladega (Ala.)
21. Cumberlands (Ky.)
22. Science & Arts (Okla.)
23. Arizona Christian
24. Peru State (Neb.)
25. Campbellsville (Ky.)
Others Receiving Votes: Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 32, Langston (Okla.) 31, St. Thomas (Texas) 29, Hope International (Calif.) 28, Providence (Mont.) 19, Loyola (La.) 17, Dillard (La.) 6, Oklahoma City 5.
