USA TODAY Sports DII Top-25 Coaches Poll (Feb. 10)

CEDARVILLE, Ohio (from yellowjackets.cedarville.edu) – After several weeks of patiently waiting in the ‘receiving votes’ category, Cedarville has officially crashed the latest USA Today Sports Division II Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll at #23.
 
It represents the first time CU has been ranked in its three years as an active NCAA member and it's the highest rating for any Lady Jacket athletic team in Division II.
 
Cedarville improved from 50 points in the previous poll to 93 this week. Head Coach Kirk Martin's team has won 11 consecutive games to improve to 21-2 overall and 11-0 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
 
"We're excited about what's happened," said Martin. "The thing about this group that you never know when you put a team together is just how committed they are to getting it done and being successful. When we've needed something special to happen, this just seems to be the year that it's happened for us."
 
Martin agrees that one of the keys to the team's success has been the development of his young players.
 
"It's been fun to watch. We have seven freshmen and we play four-to-five of them a lot of minutes.
 
"But, the reality is, we had a lot of experience coming back. Those six returning players have set a standard for our freshmen, they've bought into it, and we just watch them grow by leaps and bounds every single game."
 
Midwest region member Lewis (Ill.), 23-0, is the unanimous choice for the top spot. Other region schools in the Top 25 are #11 Michigan Tech, #12 Wayne State (Mich.), and #17 Drury (Mo.).
 
Grand Valley State (Mich.) and Ashland are also receiving votes.