The Missouri Valley Football Conference continues to show its dominance –
An MVFC team (North Dakota State for the first seven polls and SDSU the last three weeks) has held the No. 1 spot in the FCS every week this year. SDSU became the eighth MVFC program to achieve a No. 1 ranking. Every league member (past and present) has been ranked No. 3 or higher.
Nine MVFC teams hold spots in Sagarin rankings –
Nine MVFC teams rank in the Top 34 of the Sagarin football ratings, which includes five of the Top 18, and four in the Top 12. The same nine MVFC schools rank in the Top 37 of the Massey FCS computer rankings. Notably, all 11 MVFC programs rank in the Top 31 of Massey’s Strength of Schedule ratings, which includes South Dakota, which has the FCS’ hardest SOS. The MVFC is the top-rated FCS league in the Sagarin, followed by the Big Sky, ASUN, Southern, CAA, and WAC.
Near Unanimous for SDSU –
SDSU received 25 of 27 first-place votes in the AFCA coaches’ poll and 53 of 54 first-place votes in the Stats Perform media poll to stay at No. 1 in both polls this week. North Dakota State (4) is also ranked in the coaches poll while NDSU (4) and UND (21) are ranked in the Stats Perform Top 25. UNI and SIU are receiving votes this week.
NDSU Cross Country Teams Ranked 10th, 14th in Midwest Region –
The North Dakota State University women’s cross-country team is ranked 10th in the Midwest Region, and the Bison men are No. 14 in the latest regional rankings released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) this week.
NDSU is joined by Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Tulsa, Bradley, Illinois, Loyola-Chicago, Kansas State and Iowa as the only schools in the Midwest Region to have both the women’s and men’s programs ranked among the top 14.
The NDSU women captured the Summit League title by a 30-point margin on Saturday, placing four runners in the top 10 and seven among the top 20. It was NDSU’s fifth Summit League team championship in cross country.
The Bison men took second at the Summit League Championships, finishing with seven runners among the top 22 in the meet. NDSU has finished second at five of the last six Summit League meets.
The Midwest Region includes all Division I schools in a nine-state area comprised of Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota. The Bison will race next at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Columbia, Mo., on Nov. 11.
NDSU Soccer Has Three Named to All-Summit League Honors –
Three North Dakota State women’s soccer players were named to the All-Summit League teams Thursday morning as part of the 2022 Summit League Women’s Soccer All-League Awards, announced league officials.
Paige Goaley headlined the honors for the Bison as the junior forward was named to the All-Summit League Second Team. Goaley, who missed the last two seasons due to injury, started all 19 games for the Bison and shared in the team lead for the Bison with six goals, including four in league play. Goaley also has three assists on the season and is the team leader in points with 15.
Junior goalkeeper Abby Wilkinson All-Summit League Honorable Mention recognition. Wilkinson started 13 games this season, including all nine in league play. Wilkinson helped lead the Bison defensively in four of the team’s seven shutouts during the regular season and posted five wins and two ties with a 1.31 goals-against average.
Junior transfer Elana Webber scooped up Summit League All-Newcomer Team honors after appearing in all 19 games as a defensive midfielder. Webber started all nine league games and had the fourth most minutes played, logging 1365 minutes on the field during the regular season. Webber helped lead the Bison defense to seven cleansheets, the most for NDSU since the 2016 season.