Central Oklahoma rises to No. 1 in 2019 NFCA DII Top 25 Coaches Poll
May 6, 2019 | News | No Comments
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Central Oklahoma edged out West Florida by one point to grab the No. 1 spot in this week’s 2019 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Bronchos (38-4) and Argonauts (39-7) each received seven first-place votes, but UCO collected 384 points to UWF’s 383 to garner their first No. 1 ranking since the 2014 preseason poll.
Central Oklahoma, the eighth different No. 1 ranked program in 2019, has been a mainstay in the top 10 since March 6 and held down the No. 2 spot the last five weeks. UCO posted a 3-1 mark in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) play last week, sweeping Emporia State and splitting a twinbill with Washburn, suffering its first home loss of 2019. With four games left in the regular season, the Bronchos enter the final week with a three-game lead over Missouri Western in the MIAA standings.
West Florida’s run of four straight weeks at No. 1 was snapped after it dropped both games of a Gulf South Conference doubleheader at then-No. 18 UAH, its first GSC series loss of the season. The Argonauts still hold a three-game lead in the loss column over the Chargers heading into the final week of the regular season.
No. 3 through No. 8 remained the same as those programs went through the week unscathed. No. 3 Texas A&M-Kingsville collected the final two first-place votes and 376 points. The Javelinas bounced back from a 2-3 week with a three-game Lone Star Conference sweep of Midwestern State. TAMUK heads into the final week of the regular season in a three-way tie for first place with No. 8 Texas A&M-Commerce and No. 6 West Texas A&M.
The Javelinas, who close out league play at Texas Permian Basin, currently own the tiebreaker having swept the Lions (36-10), who were idle last week, and won the series versus the Lady Buffs, who are coming off a three-game sweep of Texas Woman’s.
No. 4 North Georgia posted a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader sweep of USC Aiken last week. Seeking their sixth straight PBC regular-season title, the NightHawks (36-10) have a pair of crucial Peach Belt Conference doubleheaders left of the slate, including one against second-place Columbus State.
No. 5 Florida Tech swept Florida Southern on the road and are tied with Tampa atop the Sunshine State Conference standings with one weekend to go. The Panthers (36-10) close out their regular season with Eckerd, while the Spartans battle Saint Leo. UT owns the tiebreaker having taken two-of-three from FIT earlier in the season.
No. 7 Winona State extended its program-record winning streak to 24 games with an 8-0 week in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action. Undefeated in the NSIC and the month of April, the Warriors (39-5) hold a two-game lead over No. 14 Augustana in the league standings. Owning the tiebreaker with the Vikings (42-7), the Warriors have six remaining conference contests this week.
UC San Diego (29-10) went 3-1 at Cal State San Marcos and moved up to No. 9 this week, while Grand Valley State returned at No. 10 following a brief top-10 absence. The Lakers (36-8) put forth a 7-1 week in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. Both squads hold slim leads in their respective league standings as they head into the home stretch.
This week’s poll welcomes No. 24 Lincoln Memorial and t-No. 25 Mississippi College back into the rankings. Then-No. 23 Georgia College dropped out.
The 2019 NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll is voted on by 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the eight NCAA regions. Records reflect games played through April 21, 2019.
2019 NFCA Division II
Top 25 Coaches Poll – April 24 (Week 10)
Rank
School
Totals
2019 Record
Previous Week
1
Central Oklahoma (7)
384
38-4
2
2
West Florida (7)
383
39-7
1
3
Texas A&M Kingsville (2)
376
36-8
3
4
North Georgia
357
36-10
4
5
Florida Tech
335
36-10
5
6
West Texas A&M
317
30-10
6
7
Winona State
304
39-5
7
8
Texas A&M-Commerce
285
35-10
8
9
UC San Diego
261
29-10
10
10
Grand Valley State
246
36-8
15
11
Colorado Mesa
218
38-7
12
12
Concordia Irvine
217
40-6
14
13
Indianapolis
199
39-11
9
14
Augustana
191
42-7
17
15
Valdosta State
172
30-12
16
16
UAH
156
35-12
18
17
Southern New Hampshire
147
33-9
13
18
Arkansas Tech
122
37-13
24
19
Tarleton State
102
36-11
22
19
Southern Arkansas
102
41-10
11
21
Georgian Court
83
39-6
19
22
Southern Indiana
70
31-15
21
23
Chico State
49
29-13
25
24
Lincoln Memorial
44
32-12
RV
t25
Shepherd
19
32-10
20
t25
Mississippi College
19
34-11
RV
New to Poll: No. 24 Lincoln Memorial, t-No. 25 Mississippi College.
Dropped Out: No. 23 Georgia College.
Receiving Votes: LIU Post (18), Saint Leo (10), Cameron (5), Carson-Newman (4), Missouri Western (2), Saint Anselm (2), San Francisco State (1).
