October 21, 2026

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Four Frontier Conference women's basketball teams are ranked in the 2026-27 Gared NAIA Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll, announced Wednesday by the national office.

Dakota State (S.D.) leads the Frontier Conference at No. 3 nationally, followed by No. 12 Rocky Mountain (Mont.), No. 16 Montana Tech and No. 24 Carroll (Mont.).

The four nationally ranked Frontier Conference programs represented the league in the 2026 NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship last March.

Dakota State enters the 2026-27 season ranked third nationally after posting a 30-6 overall record last season. The Trojans captured the Frontier Conference regular-season championship in their first season in the league and advanced to the NAIA national semifinals.  Dakota State was also recently selected as the favorite to win the 2026-27 Frontier Conference regular-season title, receiving eight first-place votes in the league's preseason coaches' poll.

Rocky Mountain begins the season ranked No. 12 nationally after compiling a 21-10 overall record in 2025-26. The Battlin' Bears advanced to the second round of last season's NAIA national tournament. Rocky Mountain was selected second in the Frontier Conference preseason coaches' poll, receiving two first-place votes.

Montana Tech is ranked No. 16 in the national preseason poll after completing one of its most successful seasons in program history. The Orediggers finished with a 26-5 overall record and captured the 2026 Frontier Conference postseason tournament championship. Montana Tech also earned a victory in last season's NAIA national tournament and was picked third in the conference preseason poll.

Carroll rounds out the Frontier Conference representatives in the national Top 25 at No. 24. The Fighting Saints finished the 2025-26 campaign with a 19-11 overall record and earned an appearance in the NAIA national tournament. Carroll was selected fourth in the Frontier Conference preseason coaches' poll.

Defending national champion Marian (Ind.) holds the top spot in the national preseason poll after finishing last season with a 35-2 record. Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.), which also reached the national semifinals last season, is ranked second. Bethel (Tenn.) and Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) complete the top five.

The 2026-27 NAIA women's basketball season officially begins Thursday, Oct. 22.

The Frontier Conference's 22-game regular-season schedule begins in November, with each team playing 11 home games and 11 road contests. The Frontier Conference Basketball Postseason Tournament is scheduled for Feb. 26-March 1, 2027, at the Butte Civic Center in Butte, Mont.
 

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