DICKINSON, ND- The Dickinson State University Women's Basketball team has been tabbed #22 in the first 2015 Women's Division II Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll after a 6-2 start.

The Blue Hawks only losses have come to NAIA Div. 1 Montana State- Northern who is currently ranked # 6 in Div. 1. Dickinson State lost the two games to the Lights by a total of five points.

Top 25 Highlights
• Morningside (Iowa) continues to stay on top of the poll this week, receiving all 12 first-place votes and 312 points.  Behind is Saint Xavier (Ill.) who moved up from third place last edition with 302 total points.
• No. 3 Hastings (Neb.) make their way into the top five after receiving votes in the previous poll.  Hastings is 9-0 this season.
• Five teams make their way into the Top 25 Poll after not being ranked including in the preseason including: No. 13 Olivet Nazarene (Ill.), No. 13 St. Francis (Ill.), No. 16 Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.), No. 19 Bryan (Tenn.) and No. 22 Dickinson State (N.D.)
• Four teams that were receiving votes in the preseason poll have entered the Top 25 this week including: No. 18 Haskell (Kan.), No. 23 IU Northwest, No. 24 Kansas Wesleyan and No. 25 Oregon Tech.
• The Great Plains Athletic Conference has the most schools appearing in the Top 25 with five: Morningside, Hastings, Briar Cliff, No. 9 Concordia (Neb.) and Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.). With four teams are the Crossroads League and Chicagoland Colligate Athletic Conference.
• Six teams continue their season with a perfect record including the top three, Morningside (8-0), Saint Xavier (9-0), and Hastings (9-0), No. 13 St. Francis (7-0), No. 15 Southern Oregon (5-0) and No. 19 Bryan (Tenn.) (9-0) finish out the six teams.
• No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan has the most No. 1 rankings in NAIA history with 33. Morningside is right behind with 22.
• Morningside has the most active Top 25 appearances with 115.  College of the Ozarks (Mo.) is only seven behind with 108.
• College of the Ozarks, Morningside and Saint Francis (Ind.) are the only teams to be ranked No. 1 for an entire season. College of the Ozarks in 2007-08 season, Morningside in 2008-09 and Saint Francis in 1999-2000.

Poll Methodology
• The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and the Association of Independent Institutions.
• 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 a 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 teams appears on.
• Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered "receiving votes"
• For the complete Top 25 calendar, click here.

2015-16 NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Preseason Poll (Oct. 27)

     
Dropped from Top 25: Asbury (Ky.) and Oklahoma Wesleyan 

Other receiving votes: Northwestern (Iowa) 43, St. Ambrose (Iowa) 41, Hastings (Neb.) 29, Cornerstone (Mich.) 26, Kansas Wesleyan23, Rio Grande (Ohio) 23, Indiana Northwest 22, Oregon Tech 14, Siena Heights (Mich.) 13, Bryan (Tenn.) 11, Valley City State (N.D.) 8, Southeastern (Fla.) 5, Friends (Kan.) 3.

North Star Athletic Association
1. Jamestown (N.D.) (2-0 / 8-2)
2. Dickinson State (N.D.) (0-0 / 6-2)
3. Mayville State (N.D.) (1-0 / 4-4)
4. Valley City State (N.D.) (2-0 / 4-5)
5. Dakota State (S.D.) (1-0 / 7-4)
6. Presentation (S.D.) (2-0 / 3-3)
7. Waldorf (Iowa) (0-2 / 1-6)
8. Viterbo (Wis.) (0-5 / 1-7)