Five Frontier teams listed in 2025-26 NAIA Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Preseason Poll

10/22/2025 11:48:10 AM

October 22, 2025

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The wait is over; the 2025-26 NAIA Women’s Basketball season tips off Thursday (Oct. 23). Five teams from the new-look Frontier Conference are listed in the poll, with three teams listed inside the NAIA’s Top 25.

Dakota State (S.D.), who was the coaches’ pick to win the league this year, checked in at No. 4 with 474 points. It marked the highest ranking in Dakota State’s women’s basketball program history; previous high was at No. 5 during the 2007-08 season.

The Trojans finished their 2024-25 season with their fifth straight conference title and advanced to the second round of the NAIA National Tournament with an overall record of 25-5.

Carroll (Mont.) ranked No. 16 with 259 points in the preseason poll. The Fighting Saints finished the 2024-25 season with an overall record of 19-12 and advanced to the first round of the NAIA National Tournament.

Rocky Mountain (Mont.) followed with No. 21 ranking with 172 points. RMC won the 2024-25 Frontier Conference regular season title, finishing with an overall record of 20-11. The Battlin’ Bears also advanced to the league’s postseason tournament championship game and qualified to the first round of the NAIA National Tournament last season.

Two teams are listed in the receiving votes (RV) section of the national poll. Providence (Mont.) earned 69 points. The Argos won the Frontier Conference postseason tournament title last season and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament’s First Round. UP finished with an overall record of 22-8 in 2024-25 season.

Montana Tech tallied 19 points to the national poll. The Orediggers also appeared in the NAIA National Tournament First Round last season, finishing with an overall record of 18-12.

The first edition of the NAIA Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 national poll is scheduled for Nov. 12.