Air Force's Lead in MCLA Division II Coaches Poll Grows

ATLANTA — With defending national champion and former No. 2 Dayton getting off to a bumpy start to the season, the Air Force Academy has strengthened its grip on the top spot in the MCLA Division II New Balance Weekly Coaches Poll, which released Wednesday.

The Falcons (6-0), who defeated Virginia Tech D-II on Monday to stay perfect on the season, picked up 21 of the 27 first-place votes cast to remain atop the charts for the second consecutive week.

After running its record to 7-0 with three more ranked wins over the weekend, St. Thomas moved up a spot to No. 2, bolstered by the remaining six first-place ballots.

An idle Montana State (4-1) outfit moved into the third slot followed by UNC-Charlotte (6-0) in fourth. Grand Valley State (2-0), which is off until St. Patrick’s Day, rounds out the first five.

With its 1-2 start, Dayton dropped all the way down to No. 12.

St. John’s (0-4) dropped out of the poll to make way for No. 25 Northern Arizona (2-0).

MCLA DIVISION II
NEW BALANCE COACHES POLL

1. Air Force, 669 (21 first-place votes)
2. St. Thomas, 653 (6)
3. Montana State, 594
4. UNC-Charlotte, 573
5. Grand Valley State, 545
6. Rhode Island, 532
7. Montana, 447
8. Florida Atlantic, 435
9. Coastal Carolina, 430
10. Kennesaw State, 425
11. Cal State San Marcos, 414
12. Dayton, 407
13. Wake Forest, 390
14. UC San Diego, 316
15. Northwest Nazarene, 278
16. North Dakota State, 274
17. Missouri State, 236
18. Minn.-Duluth, 212
19. Florida Gulf Coast, 177
20. Western Washington, 166
21. Denver, 160
22. Utah State, 155
23. Loyola Marymount, 70
24. College of Idaho, 60
25. Northern Arizona, 56

Others receiving votes: UC Davis (32), Appalachian State (25), St. John’s (19), Bridgewater State (10), Georgia Southern (5), Miami (3), Tulane (3), MSU Denver (2), Central Washington (1), Virginia Tech D-II (1)