Rankings Roundup
3/7/2014 6:10:00 PM | General
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – In its first season as a full-fledged member of NCAA Division II, California Baptist University has continued to show why it earned its promotion.
Eight of the Lancer teams still in season are ranked in Division II. Four place in the top-10 of their division, with three others are in the top-20 and the other lands just outside the top 20 but remains one of the division's elite.
CBU softball is responsible for the highest ranking at this point, as it holds at No. 3 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's Division II poll. The team is 18-5, 9-3 in the PacWest after splitting a rivalry doubleheader with Azusa Pacific Tuesday. It will look to build on its success with a four-game road trip today and Saturday at No. 22 Dixie State.
Women's golf has continued its dominance over division foes, with an undefeated record in four Division II tournaments. The team, which posted a second-place finish in a Division I event in October, is ranked sixth in its division by Golfstat. The Lancers will look to continue their streak at the Wildcat Classic hosted by Chico State Monday and Tuesday.
With a 15-3, 1-3 in PacWest record, CBU baseball is viewed differently in a number of polls. The team is ranked third in the west region, ninth in Division II by Collegiate Baseball and 21st by the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association. The team is currently on a rare nine-day break, as it prepares for an even more uncommon road trip this season. First, it heads to Hawaii for a pair of PacWest doubleheaders with Hawaii Pacific Monday and Tuesday and two more with Hawaii Hilo Friday and Saturday. The Lancers return home for two nonconference games with No. 15 Cal Poly Pomona on March 22.
Both California Baptist University's men's basketball and wrestling teams are ranked 11th heading into their postseasons. Men's hoops, which is ranked 11th in the National Association of Basketball Coaches, is also tabbed third in the division's west-region poll with a 24-2, 18-2 record heading into its semifinal PacWest Tournament game, hosted by Point Loma, with Chaminade today at 3:15 p.m. The Lancers basketball team is also ranked third in the west region.
Wrestling (11-4-1) takes its No. 11 ranking to the NCAA Division II Championships, which are hosted in Cleveland, Ohio from March 14-15, and also have three wrestlers still ranked individually – Bryden Lazaro (No. 1 at 125 pounds), Brady Bersano (No. 2 at 157) and Jacob Mitchell (No. 4 at 285). That trio of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and NCAA Super West Region champions will be joined by Bradford Gerl (141) and Alex Anunciation (149) at the Division II Tournament after they took third at the conference and regional tournament.
While CBU's swim teams are in the midst of a three-week break, they are still holding to top-20 rankings in Division II. The women are in a two-way tie for the ninth ranking, while the men are No. 20 in their division in a poll that has not been updated since Feb. 3.
Women's water polo rounds out the Lancers squads on the national radar. With one of the toughest schedules rankings wise, CBU is receiving votes in the Collegiate Water Polo Association polls with a 7-8, 0-1 in Golden Coast Conference record. It takes part in the Claremont Convergence Tournament today with matches against Redlands and Gannon.
