KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Montana Western women finished the regular season ranked fourth in the nation, according to coaches across the country. The final regular season NAIA women’s basketball coaches poll was released on Wednesday.
The Bulldogs, 25-4 overall, earned the Frontier Conference regular season title before finishing runner-up in the league tournament to Carroll College on Monday evening. The Fighting Saints (25-7) climbed one spot from seventh to No. 6 in the poll.
Rocky Mountain College (20-12) and Lewis-Clark State (20-11) were ranked No. 20 and No. 23, respectively. The University of Providence was receiving votes.
All five teams were selected to compete in the NAIA women’s basketball national tournament, which tips off next Wednesday, March 13, at Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark in Billings. Western earned a No. 1 seed, while Carroll was tabbed a two-seed in the six-day tournament.
Host Rocky enters as a No. 5 seed, Lewis-Clark State a No. 6 seed and the University of Providence was one of the final teams selected, a No. 8 seed, drawing No. 2 overall Campbellsville (Kentucky) in the first round.
To view the bracket for the NAIA women’s basketball national tournament, please click here.
The final regular season poll can be found below.
2018-19 NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll
| RANK | LAST WEEK | SCHOOL | RECORD | POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) [7] | 31-2 | 218 |
| 2 | 2 | Campbellsville (Ky.) [2] | 31-2 | 213 |
| 3 | 3 | Columbia (Mo.) | 29-4 | 203 |
| 4 | 4 | Montana Western | 25-4 | 200 |
| 5 | 5 | The Master’s (Calif.) | 26-6 | 191 |
| 6 | 7 | Carroll (Mont.) | 25-7 | 184 |
| 7 | 8 | Wayland Baptist (Texas) | 28-5 | 176 |
| 8 | 10 | Westmont (Calif.) | 24-7 | 168 |
| 9 | 11 | William Penn (Iowa) | 30-2 | 159 |
| 10 | 6 | MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) | 24-5 | 155 |
| 10 | 9 | Oklahoma City | 29-4 | 155 |
| 12 | 14 | Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) | 25-6 | 143 |
| 13 | 12 | Vanguard (Calif.) | 22-9 | 135 |
| 14 | 16 | Shawnee State (Ohio) | 24-9 | 124 |
| 15 | 15 | Bethel (Tenn.) | 28-5 | 122 |
| 16 | 13 | Talladega (Ala.) | 27-5 | 118 |
| 17 | 18 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 22-10 | 106 |
| 18 | 19 | Lyon (Ark.) | 24-7 | 94 |
| 19 | 17 | Menlo (Calif.) | 20-9 | 88 |
| 20 | 20 | Rocky Mountain (Mont.) | 20-12 | 85 |
| 21 | 21 | Arizona Christian | 21-22 | 83 |
| 22 | 24 | Loyola (La.) | 26-6 | 73 |
| 23 | 22 | Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | 20-11 | 68 |
| 24 | 23 | Xavier (La.) | 23-7 | 51 |
| 25 | 25 | Pikeville (Ky.) | 20-11 | 49 |
Receiving Votes: William Jessup (Calif.) 40, LSU Alexandria (La.) 35, Science & Arts (Okla.) 31, Providence (Mont.) 30, Clarke (Iowa) 7, Georgetown (Ky.) 5
