Newcomer Utah Valley Moves into WCLA Division I Coaches Poll

There wasn’t much movement in this week’s WCLA Division I Top 20, with the top nine teams holding their positions from last week.

The real headliner is No. 13 Utah Valley, playing its first season in Division I after being among the top Division II programs for the past several seasons. The Wolverines, last year’s Division II national runner-up, join the Division I ranking for the first time after a strong 3-1 start in 2024. Thus far, their debut season includes wins over No. 16 Arizona State Club, No. 20 Grand Canyon and Washington.

“We’ve had some really fun games so far, and we’re enjoying the competition,” UVU club president Bekah Sheperd said. “The main reason we decided to move up was to face stronger competition and to just keep building our program.”

Utah Valley was the No. 1 seed in the Division II championship tournament in each of

the past two seasons and is now making a run at the postseason in its first year in Division I.

“Getting back to the nationals is one of our goals, but we know there are a lot of tough teams in our region,” Sheperd said. “We used to play teams like BYU and Utah in scrimmages and fall ball games, but now those games really count, so we’re even more dialed in.”

Utah Valley has a chance to capture its biggest win as a Division I team this Saturday when it visits No. 9 BYU. A victory could vault the Wolverines into the national top 10.

“We don’t really talk about rankings, but knowing that we’re in the Top 20 helps us feel more confident in our transition,” Sheperd said.

Elsewhere in this week’s poll, the only notable change was No. 10 Notre Dame Club sliding up two spots following wins over Ohio State Club and Ohio. The only other team in the top 10 that saw significant action was No. 7 UCLA, which collected wins over Santa Clara and UC Davis Club, but maintained its same spot in the ranking.

WCLA DIVISION I COACHES POLL

1. Georgia, 8-0 (Prev: 1)
2. Utah, 5-0 (Prev: 2)
3. Florida Club, 9-0 (Prev: 3)
4. Virginia Club, 4-2 (Prev: 4)
5. Florida State, 7-0 (Prev: 5)
6. UCLA, 7-1 (Prev: 6)
7. Virginia Tech Club, 3-4 (Prev: 7)
8. Michigan Club, 2-2 (Prev: 8)
9. BYU, 3-3 (Prev: 9)
10. Notre Dame Club, 5-4 (Prev: 12)
11. San Diego State Club, 6-1 (Prev: 10)
12. Boston College Club, 2-1 (Prev: 11)
13. Utah Valley, 3-1 (Prev: NR)
14. Pitt Club, 2-1 (Prev: 13)
15. Clemson Club, 5-3 (Prev: 16)
16. Arizona State Club, 5-7 (Prev: 15)
17. Colorado Club, 5-1 (Prev: 14)
18. Auburn, 7-4 (Prev: 17)
19. Northeastern, 3-2 (Prev: 19)
20. Grand Canyon, 6-6 (Prev: 18)

Also receiving votes: Maryland Club, Texas, Minnesota, Washington, Texas A&M, UConn Club, Penn State Club, Oregon Club, Michigan State, Central Florida, Ohio State Club