Rio Grande ranked No. 5 in NAIA Top 25 Preseason Poll, Point Park "RV"
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference figures prominetly in the NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll released Tuesday (Aug. 18) by the national office. KIAC favorite the University of Rio Grande checks in at No. 5 in the nation to start the year, and KIAC runner-up Point Park is also mentioned in the "others receiving votes" section and No. 29 overall.
Rio Grande, 16-2-2 overall and 3-1 KIAC last year, moves up two spots from the end of the last year to this preseason. The RedStorm have many returning players from last year's team that won the KIAC Tournament with a 3-2 victory over Point Park in the finals and advanced to the final 16 of the NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship.
Rio Grande is no stranger to the NAIA Top 25 Poll as it is ranked for the 88th consecutive poll, which is the second-longest current streak behind preseason No. 9 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) with 95 straight polls. Rio Grande spent much of last year ranked No. 1 in the nation, including the final rating before the national tournament.
Point Park, 15-3 overall, 4-0 KIAC last year, is mentioned in the rankings for the 11th straight time. Point Park, which was the KIAC Regular Season champion last year with a perfect conference record, is rated as the 29th-best team this preseason. The Pioneers had been in the Top 25 and got as high as No. 20 in the final nine polls of the 2014 regular season.
Rio Grande opens the season Aug. 22 at receiving votes team Taylor (Ind.). Point Park opens its schedule Aug. 24 at home versus La Roche. Both teams will be in attendance at the Rio Grande Soccer Classic Sept. 4-5, an event that also includes No. 8 Vanguard (Calif.) and Westmont (Calif.).
Follow KIAC men's soccer on Twitter @KIACSports and online at www.KIACsports.com. For the NAIA release on the NAIA Men's Soccer Preseason Top 25 Poll, click here: http://www.naia.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27900&ATCLID=210276489
2015 NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll (Aug. 18)
| RANK | LAST WEEK^ | SCHOOL (1st PLACE VOTES) | 2014 RECORD | FINAL POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | Davenport (Mich.) (17) | 22-3-1 | 467 |
| 2 | 3 | Northwestern Ohio | 17-5-2 | 428 |
| 3 | 4 | Marymount (Calif.) | 17-5-1 | 426 |
| 4 | 5 | Grand View (Iowa) | 18-3-1 | 423 |
| 5 | 7 | Rio Grande (Ohio) | 16-2-2 | 389 |
| 6 | 6 | Mobile (Ala.) | 15-4-1 | 386 |
| 7 | 8 | Missouri Valley | 15-4-1 | 373 |
| 8 | 10 | Vanguard (Calif.) | 14-7-2 | 364 |
| 9 | 12 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 14-3-3 | 351 |
| 10 | 14 | Indiana Wesleyan | 18-1-1 | 315 |
| 11 | 16 | Thomas (Ga.) | 15-3-3 | 310 |
| 12 | 13 | MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) | 13-4-2 | 297 |
| 13 | 19 | Georgia Gwinnett | 12-3-2 | 296 |
| 14 | 11 | Bellevue (Neb.) | 15-3-2 | 291 |
| 15 | 9 | Ashford (Iowa) | 11-2-6 | 261 |
| 16 | 15 | St. Andrews (N.C.) | 14-6-0 | 253 |
| 17 | 18 | Hastings (Neb.) | 17-3-2 | 213 |
| 18 | 17 | Science & Arts (Okla.) | 18-4-0 | 204 |
| 19 | 20 | Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) | 16-1-2 | 188 |
| 20 | 23 | Oklahoma Wesleyan | 14-5-1 | 183 |
| 21 | 25 | SCAD Savannah (Ga.) | 11-3-4 | 163 |
| 22 | 21 | Bethel (Tenn.) | 11-6-1 | 150 |
| 23 | 24 | Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) | 13-6-1 | 101 |
| 24 | 22 | McPherson (Kan.) | 14-4-1 | 100 |
| 25 | RV | Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) | 16-5-1 | 96 |
Others Receiving Votes: Keiser (Fla.) 63; Corban (Ore.) 61; Hope International (Calif.) 50; Point Park (Pa.) 45; Reinhardt (Ga.) 35; Kansas Wesleyan 27; Great Falls (Mont.) 26; Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 22; Baker (Kan.) 21; The Master's (Calif.) 14; St. Thomas (Texas) 6; Florida Memorial 6; Campbellsville (Ky.) 5; Taylor (Ind.) 3; Judson (Ill.) 3.
^ 2014 Men's Soccer Coaches' Postseason Top 25 Poll announced on Dec. 10, 2014