Notre Dame Re-enters Poll, Rose Hulman Recognized in D3
The latest national and regional women’s college soccer rankings were released Tuesday, and an Indiana program made one of the more noticeable moves in NCAA Division I.
Notre Dame has climbed into the national Top 25 at No. 17, while Rose-Hulman earned recognition in the first Division III regional rankings of the regular season.
The women’s coaches polls are being conducted by the Intercollegiate Women’s Soccer Organization for Coaches (IWSOC) in partnership with United Soccer Coaches.
Division I: Notre Dame Jumps to No. 17
Notre Dame went from receiving votes a week ago to No. 17 nationally in the latest Division I poll.
The Fighting Irish are 3-0-5 through games of September 13 and remain unbeaten despite playing a schedule that has produced five draws.
Notre Dame received only four votes in last week’s poll and sat outside the Top 25, making its move to No. 17 one of the biggest jumps involving an Indiana program this season.
There was also a change at the very top.
Michigan State climbed four positions from No. 5 to No. 1, receiving five first-place votes. Duke moved into the No. 2 position, Wake Forest is No. 3 and Vanderbilt slipped from second to fourth.
Ohio State completes the Top 5.
Defending national champion Stanford experienced the largest move near the top, dropping from No. 1 to No. 6.
The Division I Top 10:
1. Michigan State — 6-0-2
2. Duke — 6-0-1
3. Wake Forest — 8-0-0
4. Vanderbilt — 7-0-1
5. Ohio State — 6-0-1
6. Stanford — 6-1-1
7. North Carolina — 7-1-0
8. Tennessee — 6-0-1
9. West Virginia — 5-0-1
10. Alabama — 8-1-0
Notre Dame is the only Indiana-based program in the Division I national Top 25 this week.
Big Ten Well Represented
The Big Ten has a significant presence near the top of the Division I poll.
Michigan State leads the country, Ohio State sits fifth and Washington is No. 11. Wisconsin checks in at No. 14.
That provides plenty of nationally ranked competition for Big Ten programs as conference play develops.
Division II: Indiana Teams Outside Midwest Top 10
There is no Indiana school in the latest Division II Midwest Region Top 10.
Grand Valley State continues to occupy the No. 1 position in the region with a 4-1-1 record.
Ashland is second, followed by McKendree, Findlay and Cedarville.
The Midwest Region Top 10 is:
1. Grand Valley State — 4-1-1
2. Ashland — 4-1-1
3. McKendree — 6-1-0
4. Findlay — 3-1-1
5. Cedarville — 3-1-2
6. Missouri-St. Louis — 3-1-2
7. Rockhurst — 5-0-1
8. Wisconsin-Parkside — 4-1-1
9. Wayne State — 4-0-0
10. Northern Michigan — 3-2-1
That means UIndy is currently outside the Midwest Region Top 10.
The Greyhounds and other Indiana Division II programs will have opportunities to work their way into the regional conversation as conference play continues.
Division III: Rose-Hulman Earns Regional Recognition
Indiana does have representation in the new Division III regional rankings.
Rose-Hulman is No. 7 in Region VII with a 3-1 record through the games considered by the poll.
Penn State Behrend occupies the No. 1 spot in Region VII, followed by Grove City, Case Western Reserve, Carnegie Mellon, Capital and Denison.
Rose-Hulman sits seventh with Transylvania eighth.
The Fightin’ Engineers’ recognition comes after an impressive opening stretch. Rose-Hulman opened with victories over St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Millikin and Greenville before suffering its first defeat in a 2-0 loss to defending national champion and then-No. 1 WashU.
Even in the loss, Rose-Hulman goalkeeper Alicia Gonzalez made a career-high 10 saves against the Bears.
The first Division III national Top 25 of the regular season was also released Tuesday. Hartford, for example, entered that national poll at No. 19 after beginning the season 3-0-1.