Women's Basketball Back in USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches Poll

(LILBURN, GA)--After dropping out last week, the Mount Union women's basketball team is back in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association USA Today/ESPN Top 25 National Poll at No. 23 this week.

The Purple Raiders were ranked as high as No. 15 two weeks ago, but after two straight losses, fell out of the poll the following week.  Mount Union bounced back with a pair of Ohio Athletic Conference last week against Muskingum and first place Capital.

Mount Union is the only OAC team ranked and begins the second half of the conference schedule Saturday at 3 pm against Heidelberg in Tiffin.  

USA TODAY ESPN DIVISION III TOP 25 COACHES' POLL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Week 7 Poll: January 19, 2010

USA TODAY ESPN Top 25 women's basketball poll, with first-place votes noted on the right, total points based on 25 points for first place through one point for 25th.

Rank	Institution - First Place Votes	Previous Ranking	Record	Points
1	Illinois Wesleyan University - 7	1	15-0	175
2	Amherst College (Mass.)	2	15-0	167
3	Kean University (N.J.)	3	17-1	159
T4	Hope College (Mich.)	5	14-1	150
T4	Washington University (Mo.)	4	13-1	150
6	George Fox University (Ore.)	7	13-2	135
7	University of Scranton (Pa.)	9	12-2	127
8	Calvin College (Mich.)	12	14-1	125
9	William Paterson University (N.J.)	11	16-1	122
10	Messiah College (Pa.)	15	14-1	111
11	Marymount University (Va.)	6	15-1	108
12	Bowdoin College (Maine)	8	12-2	89
13	Christopher Newport University (Va.)	21	15-0	88
14	Thomas More College (Ky.)	17	13-2	79
15	Moravian College (Pa.)	19	13-2	77
16	University of Puget Sound (Wash.)	22	13-2	60
17	Carthage College (Wis.)	10	12-3	58
18	Muhlenberg College (Pa.)	13	11-2	57
19	Tufts University (Mass.)	14	13-2	47
20	University of Wisconsin - River Falls	16	14-2	45
21	University of Chicago (Ill.)	24	10-4	28
22	Washington & Jefferson College (Pa.)	25	13-2	24
T23	Mount Union College (Ohio)	NR	14-2	20
T23	University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point	NR	13-3	20
25	Howard Payne University (Texas)	18	12-3	17

Dropped Out: University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Emmanuel College (Mass.).

Others Receiving Votes: Lewis & Clark College (Ore.) - 15; University of Mary Washington (Va.) - 8; Gettysburg College (Pa.) - 6; Colby College (Maine) - 3; Simpson College (Iowa) - 2; Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) - 1; Lebanon Valley College (Pa.) - 1; University of Rochester (N.Y.) - 1.

The USA TODAY ESPN board of coaches is made up of nine head coaches at Division III institutions. All are members of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). The 2009-10 board: Nan Carney-DeBord - Non-voting Chair (Ohio Wesleyan University), Amie Bradley (Trinity University), Doreen Carden (Albion College), G.P. Gromacki (Amherst College), James Scheible (University of Rochester), Michele Sharp (Kean University), Mike Strong (University of Scranton), Nancy Fahey (Washington University-St. Louis) and Suzy Barcomb (University of Puget Sound).