Kansas City, Mo. - The Central Methodist women's basketball program lands at No. 15 in the final edition of the NAIA Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 poll, announced by the national office Wednesday.
Other Heart programs featured or mentioned in the Top 25 include; No. 14 Clarke and (RV) Grand View.
The Eagles enter postseason play with a 25-4 overall record and a 15-4 mark in conference play. Central has won eight consecutive games dating back Jan. 26, scoring 75 or more points in five of those eight victories.
Central enters the conference tournament with five all-conference performers, highlighted by two first-team selections in Arleighshya McElroy, and Daryna Bachkarova. McElroy was also tabbed as both the Heart Player and Newcomer of the Year. The senior has led the Eagles in scoring with 20.7 points/game, including 12 games over 20 points.
CMU is set to host Missouri Valley College in the quarterfinals of the Heart of America Athletic Conference tournament Thursday, Feb. 24 at 7:00 p.m. inside Puckett Field House.
To view the poll methodology and the complete Top 25 poll, please see below.
Poll Methodology
- The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences, Independents and Unaffiliated Groups.
- The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second place, and so on through the list.
- The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered low ratings) is removed and the team's ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the team appears on.
- Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered "receiving votes."
| RANK | LAST TIME | SCHOOL [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] | RECORDS | POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | Southeastern (Fla.) [21] | 27-1 | 591 |
| 2 | 3 | Westmont (Calif.) | 23-3 | 567 |
| 3 | 2 | Thomas More (Ky.) | 26-3 | 557 |
| 4 | 4 | Marian (Ind.) | 25-3 | 522 |
| 5 | 5 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | 26-4 | 515 |
| 6 | 9 | Morningside (Iowa) | 25-4 | 487 |
| 7 | 6 | The Master's (Calif.) | 26-3 | 465 |
| 8 | 10 | Wayland Baptist (Texas) | 28-3 | 456 |
| 9 | 11 | Bryan (Tenn.) | 28-0 | 413 |
| 10 | 15 | Rocky Mountain (Mont.) | 24-4 | 401 |
| 11 | 7 | Carroll (Mont.) | 23-6 | 382 |
| 12 | 8 | Sterling (Kan.) | 28-2 | 374 |
| 12 | 12 | Indiana Wesleyan | 25-4 | 374 |
| 14 | 14 | Clarke (Iowa) | 26-4 | 356 |
| 15 | 13 | Central Methodist (Mo.) | 25-4 | 346 |
| 16 | 19 | Providence (Mont.) | 23-6 | 324 |
| 17 | 17 | Indiana Tech | 27-2 | 298 |
| 18 | 18 | Saint Xavier (Ill.) | 23-5 | 261 |
| 19 | 21 | Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | 25-3 | 234 |
| 20 | 22 | Rio Grande (Ohio) | 28-2 | 214 |
| 21 | 24 | Dordt (Iowa) | 23-7 | 197 |
| 22 | 20 | Mid-America Christian (Okla.) | 26-3 | 183 |
| 23 | NR | Lyon (Ark.) | 25-4 | 147 |
| 24 | 25 | Dakota State (S.D.) | 23-7 | 128 |
| 25 | NR | Loyola (La.) | 19-5 | 107 |
Dropped from the Top 25: Rust (Miss.), Northwestern (Iowa)
Receiving Votes: Rust (Miss.) 105, Northwestern (Iowa) 83, Cumberlands (Ky.) 78, Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 77, Grand View (Iowa) 41, Georgetown (Ky.) 30, Hape International (Calif.) 21, Bethel (Tenn.) 16, Columbia (Mo.) 14, Southern Oregon 13, Texas Wesleyan 9, Concordia (Neb.) 3, St. Francis (Ill.) 3
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