Some Questions Answered in Penultimate NIRA DI Week

10.26.2026College Women

Army made a massive statement by beating Lindenwood.

Author: Alex Goff

Three teams said something to us in NIRA's DI, and here's what they said.

We're Pretty Good

That was what West Point said as they clamped down on Lindenwood defensively and won 12-5.

Lindenwood put on the pressure early and led 5-0 after Ella Elorid scored. So the Lions were up 5-0 after 15 minutes, but Lindenwood would not score again.

It took a while but finally Army turned the ball over and Emily Steen's kick for space got them into the Lindenwood 22. Off the lineout they sent it out to center. Yesenia Morales, and the 2025-26 Sorensen finalist burst through for the game-tying try. Steen converted and it was 7-5.

Neither side could break through until 10 minutes to go when Kaiya Wrigley's try made it 12-5.

"In games like this one, it takes everyone, a collective effort," said Army Head Coach Jennifer Salomoon.
But defensively especially, Morales was a leader and so were Natalia Johnson, Allie Beckenhauer, and Gabby Woenker, as they were needed.

What this says statistically is Army is very secure as the #3 seed in NIRA DI. They could improve to #2 if they win well over Navy next week and Dartmouth loses to Brown, but that's almost irrelevant. Book it, Army and Dartmouth will play in the semifinals in a rematch of a September 5 game that Dartmouth won 41-5.

Army is better now, and since that loss they have allowed just 12 points per game.

(Note, the standings we post below are not the official Power Rankings, just the raw won-loss and PA-PF stats.)

Close Isn't Enough

Close games have helped Sacred Heart to a certain degree, but, ultimately, the Pioneers needed a win. Again they were competitive with Dartmouth, but the Big Green won, ensuring they will probably be #2 and certainly top three when the regular season wraps up in a week.

For Sacred Heart, losing 26-24 to Harvard, 24-17 to Army, and 33-32 to AIC really hurt. Tie Harvard and Army and beat AIC and they are in a completely different situation in the Power Rankings, probably in the top four.

Unofficial Standings NIRA D1
(Not using Power Rankings system)

Can Navy Do It?

Yes. Really, mathematically, #2 through #7 are still in with a shot at a playoff spot. However, as we pointed out, we also have to be realistic. Sure AIC can improve their standing with a win over Harvard, but is it realistic to bank on that?

Navy can do it because they can realistically beat Army. If they do that, they can overhaul AIC into the top four. Why? Because when you beat a weaker opponent the Power Rankings give you points, but not a lot. Overall for AIC the expectation is that they lose to Harvard and beat Queens.

If those games along with the form book, AIC will probably have a net Power Rankings points loss. They could really get dinged if they leak some late tries against Queens. Part of this is because AIC"s offensive and defensive numbers are below average. They are 6th in attack going into this last weekend, and 7th in attack. That makes their team rating 6th. That means any setback hurts them additionally.

Navy's metrics are lower than AIC's, but they can improve them because they play a strong team and can, if they win, say, 24-17, improve both of those and vault past AIC.

What About Brown?

Despite getting blown out by Harvard and Lindenwood, Brown is still in the mix. Why? They beat Navy on Week 1, and that result has turned out to be crucial for Brown's savior.

Have they improved? Quite possible. This past weekend Brown beat Southern Nazarene, the best team in NCR. Now, bolstered by confidence, if they beat Dartmouth then they could boost 200 points and be in that top four mix.

Lindenwood is going to have to wait and see. At 2-3 they need some held. They need AIC to either lose to Queens, or, more realistically, win unconvincingly to Queens and also be beaten by a wide margin by Harvard. Conversely AIC needs to win big over Queens and to keep it close with Harvard.

Army simply needs to beat Navy but could conceivably survive the loss, also. Dartmouth-vs-Brown is a must-win for Brown and an almost-must-win for Dartmouth.