Skylights move up in new NAIA Poll

Frontier Conference play is finally here. And the Montana State University-Northern women’s basketball team is certainly going into league play with some good momentum.

Northern enters this weekend’s Frontier openers as the No. 15 team in the NAIA. The new NAIA Coaches Poll was released Tuesday afternoon, and MSU-N moved up two spots.

Also Tuesday, Northern senior A’Jha Edwards was named NAIA Women’s National Player of the Week. In the Skylights’ last two games, Edwards averaged 18 points and a staggering 20 rebounds. Against Northwood University last Wednesday, Edwards scored 20 points and pulled down a school-record 25 rebounds in the Skylights 79-59 victory.

Edwards is the third Skylight in the last 10 years to recieve a player of the week award. Jaci Heny earned one in 2006 and Stacie Barker did it in 2008.

Overall, there are four women’s teams from the Frontier ranked in the new coaches poll. The Westminster Griffins remained at No. 4, while the Lewis-Clark State Warriors moved up one spot to No. 12. The Skylights face the Warriors Saturday night. Carroll College moved into the Top 25 this week, at No. 24, while the upstart Great Falls Argos received 50 votes and are sitting at No. 27.

There are three teams from the Frontier ranked in the new Men’s Coaches Poll, and the MSU-Northern Lights aren’t one of them. It is the first time in over a year that the Lights (11-5) didn’t receive a single vote in the poll.

UM-Western is the highest-rated Frontier squad, coming in at No. 10. The Bulldogs weren’t ranked at all this season, but made a huge leap in the new rankings. Defending Frontier champion Rocky Mountain College dropped five spots to No. 18, while LC State is ranked No. 23. Great Falls also received 12 votes in the new poll.

NAIA Men's Coaches Poll

Rn. Prv. Rec. Pts.

1 2 Campbellsville (Ky.) (5) 16-1 246

2 3 Hope International (5) 13-0 245

3 1 Cal State San Marcos 17-2 233

4 4 Pikeville (Ky.) 12-1 226

5 6 Talladega (Ala.) 14-3 210

6 10 Freed-Hardeman 12-1 208

7 8 Martin Methodist 12-1 193

8 11 Oklahoma Baptist 11-2 189

9 9 Concordia (Calif.) 14-2 181

10 NR Montana Western 12-3 177

11 6 Benedictine (Kan.) 12-3 171

12 18 Texas Wesleyan 12-0 168

13 20 Our Lady of the Lake 8-1 155

14 13 Dalton State (Ga.) 12-2 151

15 16 Wayland Baptist 12-1 138

16 17 Philander Smith (Ark.) 10-3 134

17 19 Arizona Christian 13-3 119

18 13 Rocky Mountain 11-3 110

19 15 Georgetown (Ky.) 13-3 103

20 5 William Carey (Miss.) 9-3 101

21 12 LSU Shreveport (La.) 9-3 84

22 NR Central Methodist (Mo.) 9-3 83

23 21 Lewis-Clark State 14-2 71

24 22 Xavier (La.) 11-5 67

25 23 SAGU (Texas) 10-3 56

Others Receiving Votes: Columbia (Mo.) 43; Vanguard (Calif.) 26; Lyon (Ark.) 23; Life (Ga.) 20; Great Falls (Mont.) 12; WVU Tech 11; Evangel (Mo.) 9; Brewton-Parker (Ga.) 7; Cumberlands (Ky.) 7; Langston (Okla.) 3.

NAIA Women's Coaches Poll

Rn. Prv. Rec. Pts.

1 1 Freed-Hardeman (9) 13-1 250

2 2 Oklahoma City (1) 7-1 242

3 5 Campbellsville (Ky.) 16-1 234

4 4 Westminster (Utah) 10-1 226

5 7 Oklahoma Baptist 10-1 211

6 6 Wiley (Texas) 8-0 209

7 8 Loyola (La.) 12-0 201

8 9 Bethel (Tenn.) 13-2 189

9 10 Langston (Okla.) 10-0 186

T10 3 Vanguard (Calif.) 9-3 178

T10 14 Concordia (Calif.) 9-3 178

12 13 Lewis-Clark State 14-2 157

13 16 Cumberland (Tenn.) 9-4 147

14 15 MidAmerica Naz. 10-4 132

15 17 MSU-Northern 15-1 131

16 11 Westmont (Calif.) 12-3 124

T17 20 The Master's (Calif.) 10-4 123

T17 18 Shawnee State (Ohio) 13-3 123

19 12 Our Lady of the Lake 9-3 120

20 23 Lyon (Ark.) 10-3 93

21 21 Baker (Kan.) 9-4 92

22 24 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 11-4 73

23 RV Columbia (Mo.) 8-4 67

24 RV Carroll (Mont.) 9-4 58

25 25 Georgetown (Ky.) 10-5 55

Others receiving votes: Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) 52; Great Falls (Mont.) 40; Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 21; Cumberlands (Ky.) 15; Philander Smith (Ark.) 14; Texas Wesleyan 8; Benedictine (Kan.) 7; William Woods (Mo.) 5; Pikeville (Ky.) 5; Biola (Calif.) 3; Xavier (La.) 3; Wayland Baptist (Texas) 3.