NAIA Division II WBB national rankings
SEWARD, Neb. – The eleventh season of head coach Drew Olson’s tenure as Concordia head women’s basketball coach produced yet another elite national finish. The Bulldogs checked in at No. 3 in the 2016-17 NAIA Division II Postseason Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, released on Wednesday (March 22) by the NAIA. This marks the sixth time that Olson has guided Concordia to a top-10 finish.
The Bulldogs have been ranked in every national poll since the start of the 2011-12 season (75 polls in a row). Three-straight senior classes have played each game in their careers for ranked Concordia squads. During that time, the Bulldogs have risen as high as No. 1, appearing at the top spot for the first four polls of the 2012-13 campaign. Olson has led the program to national semifinal appearances in three of the past six seasons. Concordia is the only program in the nation with three semifinal trips since 2012.
This year’s squad well outperformed its preseason ranking of 14th. The Bulldogs jumped up seven spots to No. 7 with the release of the first regular-season ranking on Nov. 29. They vaulted to No. 2 on Dec. 13 and held that spot until moving back one spot to third on Wednesday.
Olson’s teams have finished inside the top 25 in eight of his 11 seasons. The highest final national ranking was a No. 2 placement in 2015 after a national runner-up claim. Both the 2011-12 and 2016-17 squads were ranked third at the close of their seasons.
The women’s basketball program has held the No. 1 ranking a total of 11 times, including the final seven polls of the 2002-03 season. The 2014-15 Bulldogs became the first in program history to reach the national title game and was the fourth Concordia women’s basketball team to advance to the national semifinals. The fifth semifinal appearance came this March.
Final end of season top 25 rankings under Olson
2016-17: 3
2015-16: 19
2014-15: 2
2013-14: 13
2012-13: 9
2011-12: 3
2010-11: NR
2009-10: NR
2008-09: 8
2007-08: 10
2006-07: NR
Preseason top 25 rankings under Olson
2016-17: 14
2015-16: 4
2014-15: 9
2013-14: 5
2012-13: 1
2011-12: 22
2010-11: 11
2009-10: 22
2008-09: 7
2007-08: NR
2006-07: NR