BELLINGHAM, Wash. – With the regular portion of the fall championships season nearing an end, the Western Washington University Department of Athletics is hoping to make a lot of plans for the upcoming NCAA Championships.
If the current national rankings are any indication of that, then it will be a long fall.
WWU currently has six varsity intercollegiate programs ranked in the top 25 in their respective coaches polls, with four programs that will vie for a spot in the upcoming NCAA II Fall Championships.
Here is a look at WWU’s teams that are in the current national polls:
Volleyball: Ranked No. 2 in the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll…current 20-match winning streak and in first place in the GNAC with a perfect 15-0 conference record…also No. 1 in the NCAA II West Region rankings…has been ranked in 90 consecutive AVCA polls.
Men’s Golf: Ranked No. 8 in the Bushnell Golfweek Division II Coaches Poll…won three of four tournaments to open the fall season…listed No. 2 in the Golfstat.com team rankings behind Barry…has three players listed in the Golfstat player rankings: Nick Sparling (No. 26), Cody Roth (No. 42), Jordan Lee (No. 48).
Women’s Cross Country: Ranked No. 14 in the NCAA Division II Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association (USTFCCCA).
Women’s Soccer: Ranked No. 15 in the United Soccer Coaches Division II Coaches Poll, moving up from No. 18 last week…has played the toughest schedule in the nation according to the NCAA…has been ranked in each of the last 50 Division II coaches polls…also listed No. 2 in the NCAA II West Region rankings…currently tied for first place in the GNAC with a 8-1-1 conference record and is 13-2-1 overall.
Men’s Cross Country: Ranked No. 21 in the NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association (USTFCCCA).
Women’s Golf: Ranked No. 24 in the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Division II top 25…in three fall tournaments has two third-place finishes and one runner-up…listed No. 27 in the Golfstat.com team rankings…Lacy Sheldon is ranked No. 43 among NCAA II women’s golfer by Golfstat.
In addition to the six teams that are currently in the national rankings, the WWU men’s soccer team was voted as high as No. 13 in the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II poll after a 3-1 start to the season, marking the first time the Vikings have earned a spot in the national coaches poll.
“It has been a very exciting fall and we look forward to the competition that is ahead of us, both in the postseason and in the winter and spring sports,” said WWU Director of Athletics Steve Card. “We take great pride in not only being competitive on the field, but also in how we represent Western Washington University in the classroom and in the community.”