September 16, 2026

Marian Climbs to No. 2, Four Indiana Teams Ranked in Latest NAIA Women’s Soccer Poll

Indiana continues to have a major presence near the top of the NAIA women’s soccer landscape, with four teams from the state appearing in the latest NAIA Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Top 25 released Wednesday.

Marian leads the Indiana contingent after climbing two positions from No. 4 to No. 2 nationally, while Indiana Wesleyan moved up to No. 4 and Grace climbed to No. 7. Taylor remains in the Top 25 but slipped three positions to No. 20.

At the top, Keiser (Fla.) reclaimed the No. 1 ranking, jumping from No. 2 after improving to 5-0-1. The Seahawks collected 17 of the 19 available first-place votes.

Marian made one of the biggest statements of the new poll. The Knights moved from No. 4 to No. 2 following their unbeaten start. Marian was listed at 6-0-1 when the poll was released and had surrendered only three goals through its first six matches entering Tuesday’s game. The Knights also earned a scoreless draw against Cumberlands when the Patriots were ranked No. 1.

Cumberlands dropped from No. 1 to No. 3, opening the door for Marian to move into the second spot.

Indiana Wesleyan continues its climb as well. The Wildcats moved from No. 5 to No. 4 and received one first-place vote. IWU entered the poll at 6-0-1 and had conceded only one goal this season. Senior Alyssa Hamann has powered the attack with eight goals, while goalkeeper Avery Sluss has helped produce six shutouts.

Grace also gained ground, moving from No. 8 to No. 7. The Lancers are 6-1-1 and have tested themselves against a difficult non conference schedule that included Oklahoma Wesleyan, Lindsey Wilson and Columbia, all three of which remain nationally ranked.

Grace’s only loss came against Keiser, which is now the No. 1 team in the country.

Taylor went in the opposite direction in the rankings. The Trojans dropped from No. 17 to No. 20, but remain firmly inside the national Top 25 with a 5-1-1 record.

Spring Arbor, another Crossroads League program, made a significant move from No. 19 to No. 16.

Indiana Teams — New Poll vs. Previous Poll

Team| Sept. 16| Previous| Change
Marian| No. 2| No. 4| ↑ 2
Indiana Wesleyan| No. 4| No. 5| ↑ 1
Grace| No. 7| No. 8| ↑ 1
Taylor| No. 20| No. 17| ↓ 3

The latest poll also illustrates just how strong the Crossroads League could be this fall. Marian, Indiana Wesleyan, Grace, Spring Arbor and Taylor give the league five nationally ranked programs, including three Indiana schools among the country’s top seven.

Latest NAIA Women’s Soccer Top 25

Rank| Team| Previous| Record
1| Keiser (Fla.)| 2| 5-0-1
2| Marian (Ind.)| 4| 6-0-1
3| Cumberlands (Ky.)| 1| 3-1-2
4| Indiana Wesleyan| 5| 6-0-1
5| Embry-Riddle (Ariz.)| 3| 5-0-1
6| Truett McConnell (Ga.)| 7| 2-1-1
7| Grace (Ind.)| 8| 6-1-1
8| MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.)| T-10| 4-0-1
9| College of Idaho| 6| 4-1-0
10| Life (Ga.)| 12| 4-0-1
11| William Carey (Miss.)| T-10| 4-1-2
12| Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)| 13| 3-1-1
13| Southeastern (Fla.)| T-14| 4-1-1
14| John Brown (Ark.)| 16| 4-1-1
15| Oklahoma Wesleyan| T-14| 1-2-2
16| Spring Arbor (Mich.)| 19| 5-1-1
17| Columbia (Mo.)| 21| 5-1-2
18| Benedictine (Kan.)| 22| 5-0-0
19| Cumberland (Tenn.)| 20| 5-2-1
20| Taylor (Ind.)| 17| 5-1-1
21| Missouri Valley| 9| 0-3-1
T-22| Georgia Gwinnett| 18| 3-3-0
T-22| Northwestern Ohio| 23| 3-2-2
24| SCAD (Ga.)| 25| 5-1-1
25| Central Methodist (Mo.)| 24| 3-2-0

The most dramatic slide belongs to Missouri Valley, which fell from No. 9 to No. 21 after an 0-3-1 start. Meanwhile, Columbia climbed four places from No. 21 to No. 17, and Spring Arbor jumped three positions to No. 16.

No teams entered or departed the Top 25 between the two regular-season polls.

The next NAIA women’s soccer rankings will have additional significance. The first National Selection Committee Top 25 is scheduled for October 1, when the NAIA will also publish its ARC ratings as the national tournament picture begins to take shape.

For Indiana, the takeaway from the September 16 rankings is the state’s continued presence near the top: Marian No. 2, Indiana Wesleyan No. 4 and Grace No. 7 give Indiana three of the top seven teams in NAIA women’s soccer.