Dalton State is ranked No. 11 in the NAIA Preseason Men’s Top 25 Coaches’ Poll released by the national office in Kansas City.
The Roadrunners, who had been ranked 14th in the Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches’ Poll, tallied 319 points. Defending national champion Oklahoma City topped both polls with 17 of the 18 first-place votes. William Woods (Mo.) placed second with the only other first-place nod.
“It’s always nice to see a favorable preseason ranking and respect from other teams nationally in the NAIA,” said Dalton State Coach Ben Rickett. “It’s a testament to the past and present players in this program who have us to this point. We have been a part of every Top 25 poll since the program has started. I have been very fortunate to coach these talented players.”
Rickett cautions that it is a rebuilding year. “We lost a big part of the team, but a young talented group is coming in,” added Rickett. “We will have to show early on that we belong where we have been ranked in the preseason. We are looking forward to the challenge and to the season ahead.”
The Roadrunners will open the season on September 9th through the 11th against a highly competitive field in the Carpet Capital Collegiate at The Farm in Rocky Face.
Three Southern States Athletic Conference teams made the coaches’ preseason top 25. Coastal Georgia is seventh and Faulkner University is 24th. Three Georgia schools were recognized. Reinhardt University from the AAC is No. 25.
The NAIA Coaches’s Top 25 is used as a guideline in the national tournament selection process. Dalton State has played in the NAIA Tournament during each of the two years of eligibility because they received the automatic bye from winning the SSAC Tournament Championship.