KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Northwestern College women’s basketball team (15-3, 7-3 GPAC) was tabbed No. 14 in the first installment of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Coaches’ Poll in 2022, after posting a 4-1 record since the last poll.
Northwestern sits with a 7-3 record in conference play behind first-year head coach Kristin Rotert. The team is averaging 74.4 points per game on the season, led by sophomore forward Molly Schany (Emmetsburg, Iowa/Emmetsburg) who is averaging 16.2 points per game. Nationally, the Raiders sit sixth in the NAIA in field goal percentage at 47.7% from the floor. The Raiders also sit top-20 from behind the arc, shooting at a clip of 35.4% (17th).
Defensively, Northwestern is holding teams to just 62.9 points per game, as teams are shooting 40.8% from the floor on the Raiders. Three Raiders have eclipsed the 100 mark in rebounds this season, led by Schany (123), Taylor VanderVelde (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington) with 108, and Maddie Jones (Jr., Twin Lakes, Iowa/South Central Calhoun) with exactly 100. Emilee Danner (Jr., Westside, Iowa/Ar-We-Va) leads the team with 18 blocks on the season.
The Raiders have claimed five top-25 victories on the season, including a then top-5 win over Marian (Ind.) (now ranked 7th). Four of the five wins have come inside the Bultman Center. The Raiders knocked off then-ranked No. 17 Dakota State (now ranked No. 21) on the road 63-60 back on December 16.
The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) have four teams represented in the Poll 4, including three teams inside the top-25. The Raiders are the only team to hand the highest-ranked GPAC team, Morningside, a loss in conference play this season. The Mustangs check in at No. 8 in this installment.
GPAC in the polls:
No. 8 Morningside Mustangs (13-3, 9-1 GPAC)
No. 14 Northwestern Red Raiders (15-3, 7-3 GPAC)
No. 19 Concordia (Neb.) Bulldogs (11-6, 8-3 GPAC)
RV(41) Briar Cliff Chargers (10-6, 7-3 GPAC)
Northwestern hits the road this evening for a contest against the Lancers of Mount Marty University (2-16, 1-10 GPAC). Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. inside Laddie E. Cimpl Arena.
