Women DII College Fall Top 20 - Oct. 6, 2015

Like its DI counterpart, the Women’s DII College rankings that will be maintained for the rest of 2015 will only concern fall-based and split-season teams. Those programs playing league matches in both the fall and spring – as well as the fall champion – will carry over to the 2016 spring rankings.

Now that Notre Dame College is a DI varsity program, Davenport is the #1 DII team in the land. The Panthers play a tier above their local Great Lakes conference, but a 71-10 friendly victory over DI Indiana was convincing enough for the top spot. Winona has beaten all of its Northern Lights opponents already and won its 9^th-straight All-Minnesota title to begin the fall. The Black Katts defeated Mankato – typically its toughest league opponent – 74-5.

Tri-State leaders Rutgers and Vassar slot in at #3 and #4, and we’re giving them the edge over Bowdoin because they’ve played two more games apiece and have faced better competition. Come playoff time, it might not make a difference, but it’s still early goings for the Polar Bears.

Kutztown is lamenting the loss of key graduates like Faith Hughes and Sharyn Beodeker, but two big wins in the MARC indicate the rebuilding process is going well. Bloomsburg is showing equal promise in the Pennsylvania division, and we won’t be at all surprised if these teams meet in the conference championship.

Stonehill College might have ranked higher if it wasn’t for a halting decision against Roger Williams. The reigning Rugby Northeast champion nearly lost to the conference newcomer, which is also the reigning NSCRO champ, and needed a game-ending try to pull off the single-digit win.

We’re a fan of Ithaca College, too, and the Upstate champion has retained a perfect 5-0 record. So has Buffalo State. The pair played more competitive matches against DI Buffalo, but will sort out top honors this weekend when they face each other.

The Capital’s Mary Washington and Salisbury typically rank a little higher, but the conference has been hit with some cancellations and weather problems. In fact, Mary Washington will have gone a month without a game since its win against Georgetown.

New England Wide sent its undefeated teams – Coast Guard and Vermont – to the Top 20, with the Cadets getting the nod after their playoff performances last year. Rocky Mountain also has two undefeated teams in the East pool, but Mesa State has been posting some more intimidating numbers than Colorado College. The duo will hash it out on Oct. 25, and it’s sure to be a goodie.

Slippery Rock represents the Allegheny conference, which has gone hybrid this year. The western Pennsylvania team has defeated West Virginia and IUP during the first half of the home-and-away series, and is mixing in NSCRO games to fill out its schedule.

Rounding out the Top 20 is Great Waters’ UW Steven’s Point, which has defeated two strong teams by an average of three scores; Mid-America’s Arkansas, which will contest a split season and look forward to Nebraska; and Ohio Valley’s Eastern Kentucky, which won 37-34 over Cincinnati, snapping the national playoff veteran’s undefeated record.

A lot of new faces on the Top 20, but that’s what a season-oriented list affords. Many of these teams will advance to the fall championships to verify or contradict our list. Additionally, there are still conferences – like Florida and Cascade – that will begin before the year’s end and potentially break onto the rankings.