SEARCY – For the seventh time since 2012, the Harding football finished the season ranked in the American Football Coaches’ Association Top 25. The 2021 team landed 10th in the final poll, its third time to finish in the top 10.

Harding went 11-2 this season and won the Great American Conference championship with a 10-1 conference record. The Bisons advanced to the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the fifth straight season and reached the second round of the playoffs after defeating Washburn 30-14.

Harding’s highest postseason finish came in 2016 and 2017 when the Bisons were No. 6 in the final poll.

The only other GAC team in the top 25 was Ouachita Baptist at No. 23.

MasseyRatings.com had Harding No. 6 in its final ratings. D2Football.com has not released its final poll.

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RUSSELLVILLE – On Tuesday, the Great American Conference announced the results of its 2021 football preseason coaches’ poll.  Ouachita edged out Harding for the top spot.

In 2019, the Tigers won their third-straight GAC regular season title with a second consecutive undefeated regular season. They enter 2021 with a 27-game conference game win streak and they have qualified for the previous three NCAA playoffs. They received seven first-place votes.

Harding collected four first-place votes. The 2019 Bisons defense led the GAC in points allowed, yards allowed and sacks in reaching the NCAA playoffs for the fourth-straight season. Cole Chancey, a 2019 Harlon Hill finalist, set the league’s single-season record for rushing yards with 1,375

Henderson State claimed the final first-place vote and placed third in the balloting. The Reddies earned a berth to the 2019 Live United Bowl. L’liott Curry tallied 84 catches, 1,167 yards and 14 touchdowns, marks that all ranked in the top five single-season totals in league history.

Oklahoma Baptist took fourth. In 2019, the Bison offense led the league in scoring, total offense, passing offense and first downs per game. Preston Haire led the league with 3,041 passing yards and 26 touchdown passes. Tyler Stuever’s 18 total touchdowns ranked second while Joshua Cornell finished second to Curry with 1,054 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.

Southern Arkansas placed fifth in the poll, followed by East Central. The Muleriders feature a new head coach as Mike McCarty takes over for the retired Bill Keopple. He inherits quarterback Hayden Mallory who threw 20 touchdown passes in 2019. The Tigers’ Mookie Douglas ran for 1,144 yards and scored 18 touchdowns. Quarterback Kenny Hrncir threw for 1,876 yards and ran for 630.

Arkansas-Monticello, Arkansas Tech and Northwestern Oklahoma State garnered the next three positions. The Weevils feature 2019 Freshman of the Year Demilon Brown. He threw for 1,057 yards, ran for 803 and accounted for 14 touchdowns. Devontae Dean, the team’s top running back, as well as their top two receivers – C.J. Parham and DeAndre Washington, all return. Caleb Batie led the Wonder Boys in rushing with 620 yards and five touchdowns.  The Rangers’ Gavin Garner led the team with 37 receptions and 620 yards.

Southwestern Oklahoma State, Southeastern Oklahoma State and Southern Nazarene rounded out the poll. The Savage Storm’s Katrell Blakely and Braxton Kincade combined for 101 receptions and almost 1,300 yards. SWOSU’s Justin Bailey averaged 18.7 yards per reception. After almost 20 months as head coach, Dustin Hada will finally get the chance to lead the Crimson Storm into competition. Gage Porter threw for 996 yards and ran for 751. He accounted for 12 touchdowns.

The regular season opens on Thursday, September 2 with five contests – the favored Tigers host Oklahoma Baptist; Southwestern Oklahoma State faces Henderson State; Southern Nazarene visits Arkansas-Monticello; Southern Arkansas takes on Northwestern Oklahoma State and Arkansas Tech welcomes in Southeastern Oklahoma State. Week One concludes with East Central traveling to Harding.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Hendrix, which won the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) West Division and advanced to the league’s championship game last season, is ranked No. 17 in Lindy’s Sports preseason Top 25, which was released as part of the publication’s 2021 College Football National Preview.

The Warriors are one of four SAA teams ranked in the preseason poll. Trinity (Texas) sits at No. 10. Defending league and East Division champion Berry (Ga.) checks in at No. 16, while Birmingham-Southern (Ala.) is No. 23. The conference returns to a non-division format this season.

The 2021 AFCA Coaches and D3football.com preseason Top 25 polls are expected to be unveiled in July.

Hendrix, entering its ninth season with Buck Buchanan at the helm, returns seven projected starters on each side of the ball, headlined by All-SAA first team right tackle Matthew Altrock and five second team members – center Dylan Alexander, left tackle Will Sewell, cornerback Matthew Scirto, free safety Jacob Bremmon and strong safety Dalton Lindelof.

Buchanan is six wins shy of 50 for his career.

Hendrix kicks off its season Sept. 4 at former SAA member Austin (Texas) at 1 p.m. CT.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Lyon College women’s wrestling team continues to impress this season as the Scots just garnered the No. 8 ranking in the final edition of the NAIA Women’s Wrestling Coaches’ Poll, which was released by the national office this morning.

Campbellsville University and Menlo College maintained their No. 1 and No. 2 ranking, respectively. Southern Oregon University jumped Life University for the third position, while the University of Jamestown moved up to the No. 5 spot. The University of the Cumberlands holds the sixth position, while Wayland Baptist University sits just ahead of Lyon College for the No. 7 ranking. The University of Providence fell to ninth in the poll, while Oklahoma City University stayed in the No. 10 spot.

The Scots placed 12 wrestlers in the individual standings as well. Jasmine Hernandez led Lyon as she earned the No. 2 ranking in the 123-pound weight class. Kelani Corbett recorded a No. 4 ranking in the 170-pound weight division, while Brianna Ribucan-Leong and Ashley Whetzal each jumped into the No. 5 spot in their respective weight classes. Elissa Douglass and Emma De Brum kept the top-10 rankings coming for the Scots as Douglass notched the No. 7 ranking in the 143-pound weight division, and De Brum earned the No. 10 spot in the 116-pound weight class. Six additional Scots registered a spot in the individual rankings – Alexandrea Banag (No. 12), Mariah Spix (No. 13), Jessienna Burkett-Erice (No. 17), Skye Williams (No. 17), Sierra Alfonso (No. 18), and Ashley Cook (No. 24).

Last time the Scots were on the mat, Lyon battled No. 7 University of the Cumberlands inside Becknell Gymnasium for the Scots’ senior day match. Lyon and UC exchanged leads throughout the entire dual as both teams wrestled tremendously. The dual was so tight that it ended in a draw, 23-23. Brianna Ribucan-Leong, Ashley Whetzal, Jasmine Hernandez, Elissa Douglass, and Kelani Corbett all notched impressive victories against the University of the Cumberlands.

The eighth-ranked Lyon College women’s wrestling team will travel to Texas to compete in the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) Championships this weekend. The competition will begin on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. on the campus of Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas.

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SEARCY – Harding football is ranked No. 5 in the first NCAA Division II Super Region Three rankings. Monday’s rankings are the first of three to be released before the announcement of the 28-team Division II Playoff field on Nov. 17.

The top seven teams in Super Region Three advance to the playoffs with the No. 1 seed receiving a bye and seeds 2-4 hosting a first-round game. Seeds 5-7 will be matched up against higher seeds based on proximity and conference alignment. The NCAA committee will make an effort to limit teams flying to their first-round opponent and to limit conference opponents playing against each other.

Super Region Three is comprised of teams from the Great American Conference, MIAA, Great Lakes Valley Conference, and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

The key takeaway from the first rankings for Harding is that if the playoffs began now, Harding would be in the playoffs and have a road game in the first round.

The next rankings will be released Monday, Nov. 4.

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At 10-0, Ouachita is at No. 2 in the Super Region 3 rankings, and has likely established its spot in the NCAA Division II playoffs for a second consecutive year.

Southern Arkansas and Harding each have records of 8-2 and are in this week’s list at No. 7 and No. 8, respectively.

With Missouri S&T at 8-1 and perennial power Pittsburg State at 7-3 just on the outside looking in, it would seem that the Muleriders and Bisons each need a win in the season finale to secure positions in the playoff hunt.

The top eight teams in the final ranking move on to the postseason.

Here is this week’s list:

Super Region Three Rankings

1. Ferris St. (GLIAC) 10-0
2. Ouachita Baptist (GAC) 10-0
3. Grand Valley St. (GLIAC) 9-1
4. Indianapolis (GLVC) 8-1
5. Fort Hays St. (MIAA) 8-2
6. Northwest Mo. St. (MIAA) 8-2
7. Southern Ark. (GAC) 8-2
8. Harding (GAC) 8-2
9. Missouri S&T (GLVC) 8-1
10. Pittsburg St. (MIAA) 7-3

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WALNUT RIDGE – The Williams Baptist University wrestling team enters the 2018-19 season tied for the 10th in the national rankings. The NAIA released its Coaches’ Preseason Top 20 Poll on Wednesday.

The Eagles finished in third place nationally in 2017-18 season.

“We have a lot of hard work to put in. We lost a lot of talent last season and have holes to fill, but I am confident in our process and training. I know we will have guys step up by the end of the year,” head coach Todd Allen said.

Williams has now been ranked in the top 20 for twenty straight polls. The last time WBU was outside the top 20 was Dec. 9, 2015. The team’s highest ever ranking was three, which they have reached on six occasions.

Seven individuals are ranked in their respective weight divisions.

All-American Nicholas Drendel is the highest ranked Eagle, coming in at fourth in the 157 lb. weight class. The 133 lb. weight division has two WBU representatives. Tanner Irwin is ranked seventh, followed by Jaitlan Pitts at eight.

Another All-American comes in ranked ninth in the 184 lb. division. Jeff Haley enters the year ranked after redshirting in 2017-18.

Kyle Lee joins Drendel in the 157 lb. division, ranking 11th. Meanwhile, Maleek Canton enters his first year of competition at WBU ranked 17th in the 197 lb. weight class, while Tyler Giorgini holds the 20th ranking in the 285 lb. division.

“I have seen a tremendous amount of growth off the wrestling mat this year. Typically that progress off the mat translates directly into success on the mat. Our guys want to prove that it is not one person or one success that make up this team, but that we are fighters and we will meet a challenge head on,” Allen added.

The Eagles were picked by the American Midwest Conference coaches to finish first in the AMC this season. WBU has won the championship in all three seasons the conference has sponsored the sport.

Individually, two Williams wrestlers are picked to win their respective weight classes in the conference. Drendel and Irwin are favored in their divisions.

“I am excited to see outside competition this year. We have a lot of guys that need to prove themselves this year and I believe they will. It will be another exciting year,” Allen concluded.

Williams opens its season on November 3 at the Patriot Open in Williamsburg, Ky. The event will begin at 7 a.m.

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DIVISION II

NAIA

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RUSSELLVILLE – One year removed from the program’s first Great American Conference women’s basketball regular-season championship, Southwestern Oklahoma State will enter the 2018-19 season as the unanimous preseason favorite, the league office announced on Wednesday.

The Lady Bulldogs collected the first-place votes from all of the conference’s 11 other head coaches. They return all five starters from a 26-5 squad, highlighted by All-American Hailey Tucker. She also earned the D2CCA Central Region Player of the Year award and her second-straight GAC Player of the Year honor. She averaged a league-leading 20.5 points, plus 7.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. She enters the season 134 points away from setting the GAC’s all-time scoring record.

In addition to Tucker, SWOSU brings back Tyra Aska, the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, and Hayden Priddy, a two-time First-Team All-GAC pick. Aska, who also made the All-GAC Second Team, averaged 14.0 points, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Priddy ranked fifth in the GAC in scoring, 15.4 per game. She ranked third with 4.5 assists per game and with a 42.0 3-point field goal percentage. Bethany Franks led the conference and ranked second amongst DII freshmen by pulling down 9.8 rebounds per game.

Arkansas Tech, the 2018 GAC Tournament champions, placed second in the poll. The Golden Suns bring back three double-digit scores in Lyrik Williams, Jayana Sanders and Ke’Vonshaye Stackhouse. Williams averaged 12.9 points and 8.1 rebounds. Sanders led all GAC freshmen in scoring at 12.3 points per game. Stackhouse finished as the only player in the conference to rank in the top seven in field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage.

Harding finished third in the voting. They return only two players with multiple years of experience, Peyton Padgett and Jenni Nadeau. Kellie Lampo garnered the conference’s Freshman of the Year after she averaged 12.2 points and 6.2 rebounds and connected on 48.4 percent of her shots.

Henderson State took fourth in the balloting. The Reddies turned in the sixth-best win increase in the country last year as they went 21-9 to register their first 20-win season since 2005-06. Pink Jones earned First-Team All-GAC honors after she averaged 16.3 points, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals. She shot 48.7 percent from the field, the fourth-highest mark in the conference.

Southeastern Oklahoma State placed fifth, followed by Oklahoma Baptist. Katie Webb, limited to just nine games a year ago, returns to the Savage Storm for her junior season. She averaged 18.8 points per game in her restricted action. A pair of redshirt seniors will pace the Lady Bison. McKenzie Cooper, a First-Team All-GAC honoree, ranked third in the league in scoring at 17.1 points per game. She tied for first in made 3-point field goals and led in 3-point field goal percentage. They welcome back Katy Custer, a 2016-17 All-GAC Honorable Mention selection, from a redshirt season. She averaged 14.5 points that season and shot 38.3 percent from the 3-point arc.

Ouachita finished seventh, four points ahead of Southern Nazarene and six clear of East Central with Northwestern Oklahoma State in 10^th. The Tigers must replace five of their top seven scorers. The Crimson Storm hired Trent May as its new head coach. He inherits Adrienne Berry, an All-GAC Second-Team pick, and Abby Niehues, who led the conference in blocks.

ECU’s Lakin Preisner led Division in free-throw percentage, 95.6 percent, in addition to averaging 13.6 points per game. The Lady Rangers return Jade Jones, an Honorable Mention guard, who averaged 13.7 points and a league-leading 5.3 assists. Additionally, Kalea King, returns following a redshirt season. In 2016-17, she ranked second in scoring at 16.2 points per game.

Southern Arkansas and Arkansas-Monticello rounded out the poll. Adam Collins takes over as the head coach for the Lady Muleriders.

The regular season begins on Friday, Nov. 9 with all 12 teams in action.

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DIVISION II

NAIA

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