Three AAC Teams Land in NAIA Top 25
(Story provided by NAIA Athletic Communications)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Four Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) teams received votes in the NAIA Women's Golf Coaches' Poll.
The poll was released on Friday.
SCAD Atlanta leads the pack as it landed at No. 6. Pikeville is next in line at No. 13, with Truett McConnell checking in at No. 21.
Milligan received 67 voting points to fall two spots outside the top 25.
The next edition of the NAIA Women's Golf Coaches' Top 25 rating is slated for April 24, with the season's final rating set for May 7.
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1. Keiser (Fla.) The Seahawks are led by Sophia Sindersberger, ranked fourth individually by Clippd and a two-time NAIA Women's Golfer of the Week in 2025-26. Keiser has five tournament wins this year, going into next week's Music City Classic. The Seahawks' last win was March 10, at home, in the Kona Ice Keiser Kup. |
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2. Dalton State (Ga.) Top-ranked Clippd individual Jia Kataria and third-ranked Sara Burger have Dalton State up in the spring rankings, and the Roadrunners are winners of three tournaments this season, two at home, tying for first in The Roadrunner Spring Invite. Dalton State has concluded the regular season and will take part in the Southern States Athletic Conference championship that begins April 20. |
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3. Marian (Ind.) Last week's NAIA Golfer of the Week, Emma Weiler, leads the Knights in a strong 2025-26, winners of four tournaments, most recently at the Heritage Hill Collegiate, hosted by Lawrence Tech (Mich.). Marian will be one of many ranked teams in next week's Music City Classic, hosted by Cumberland (Tenn.). |
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4. British Columbia The defending national champions are led by two top 10 players – Grace Yao and Kiera Hou – and the Thunderbirds have five wins in 2025-26, including consecutive wins at the Cascade Classic and BC Matchplay. The Tournament of Knights, hosted by Warner Pacific (Ore.) is next on the UBC slate next week. |
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5. SCAD Savannah (Ga.) The Bees have had a great March with a pair of wins, tying for first at last week's Roadrunner after opening the month with a win at the Curahee Club Invite, hosted by Indiana Wesleyan. The Bees have two top 10 players, including the second-ranked player in NAIA Women's Golf, according to Clippd, Yunyi Luo. |
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6. SCAD Atlanta (Ga.) Mariana Herrara, ranked 10th by Clippd, and Holly Lau, this week's NAIA Golfer of the Week, lead SCAD Atlanta, a team that had three-straight wins going into The Roadrunner, where they finished fourth. The Bees have four wins in 2025-26. |
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7. William Carey (Miss.) William Carey has three wins in the month of March, including part of the tie for first at The Roadrunner last week. The Crusaders are done for the regular season, with the SSAC Championship beginning April 20. William Carey also won tournaments in March hosted by Mobile (Ala.) and Blue Mountain Christian (Miss.). |
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8. Loyola (La.) The Wolf Pack are without a top-25 ranked player by Clippd but that has not stopped Loyola from a big 2025-26. The Wolf Pack have five top five finishes and three tournament wins, including two earlier this month. The regular season is complete, for Loyola, returning to action April 20 in the Southern States Athletic Conference Championship. |
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9. Indiana Wesleyan The Wildcats get the job done with consistency in 2025-26, getting a win and six top-five finishes despite going without a player ranked in the Clippd Top 25 for NAIA Women's Golf. IWU is in a loaded field next week at the Music City Classic, hosted by Cumberland (Tenn.). |
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T-10. Cumberlands (Ky.) The Patriots climbed a spot into the top 10 this week, after a strong end to the fall that saw three-straight wins, at Milligan (Tenn.), Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), and the Mid-South Fall Preview. They continued into the spring, finishing fourth at Curahee Club, hosted by Indiana Wesleyan, and winning the Patriot Invite in London, Ky., where UC hosted at London Country Club. |
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T-10. Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) Embry-Riddle won twice in the fall and added two fall seconds, and the Eagles have had just as strong of a spring, winning three times. Most recently, ERAU won The Bandy at Horseshoe Bend, closing the regular season before the GSAC Championship, which begins April 20 in Lompoc, Calif. |
| Trend | Rank | Last Time | Insitution | Final Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | 1 | 1 | Keiser (Fla.) [17] | 467 |
| ● | 2 | 2 | Dalton State (Ga.) | 452 |
| ▲ | 3 | 5 | Marian (Ind.) | 433 |
| ▼ | 4 | 3 | British Columbia | 422 |
| ▼ | 5 | 4 | SCAD Savannah (Ga.) | 409 |
| ● | 6 | 6 | SCAD Atlanta (Ga.) | 394 |
| ● | 7 | 7 | William Carey (Miss.) | 377 |
| ● | 8 | 8 | Loyola (La.) | 361 |
| ● | 9 | 9 | Indiana Wesleyan | 345 |
| ▲ | 10 | 11 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 324 |
| ● | T-10 | 10 | Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) | 324 |
| ● | 12 | 12 | Southeastern (Fla.) | 303 |
| ▲ | 13 | 14 | Pikeville (Ky.) | 287 |
| ▲ | 14 | 15 | Coastal Georgia | 267 |
| ▼ | 15 | 13 | Texas Wesleyan | 263 |
| ● | 16 | 16 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 244 |
| ● | 17 | 17 | Cumberland (Tenn.) | 226 |
| ▲ | 18 | 19 | Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | 205 |
| ▲ | 19 | 20 | Taylor (Ind.) | 197 |
| ▼ | 20 | 18 | Rocky Mountain (Mont.) | 182 |
| ● | 21 | 21 | Truett McConnell (Ga.) | 162 |
| ● | 22 | 22 | Oregon Tech | 152 |
| ● | 23 | 23 | Oklahoma City | 143 |
| ● | 24 | 24 | Arizona Christian | 125 |
| ● | 25 | 25 | Lawrence Tech (Mich.) | 104 |
| Receiving Votes: Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) 67, Milligan (Tenn.) 67, UT Southern (Tenn.) 64, USAO (Okla.) 47, OUAZ (Ariz.) 36, Morningside (Iowa) 5, Bethel (Ind.) 3. | ||||
Key:
RV - Receiving Votes
NR - Not Ranked
Climbed -▲
Dropped -▼
Steady - ●
Ratings Methodology
- The rating is rated by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and unaffiliated groupings.
- The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each rater rates the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second-place, 28 for third-place and so on through the list.
- The highest and lowest ratings for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) are removed. The team's rating will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the team appears on.
- Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered "receiving votes".
