ATLANTA - The Women's Basketball Coaches Association and D3hoops.com announced their final national rankings of the 2024-25 season Monday, March 24, marking the official end of a tremendous year for the Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team. The Titans were slotted sixth in the WBCA Coaches Poll and eighth in the D3hoops rankings.
The Green and White put together one of the best seasons in program history, as Illinois Wesleyan posted a 28-2 overall record and a 15-1 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark. The Titans, who were ranked top-10 nationally consistently throughout the season, won the CCIW regular season and tournament championships. IWU made its first Sweet Sixteen appearance since 2012 after beginning its season with a 20-game win streak.
Illinois Wesleyan set a conference record with five All-CCIW selections. Lauren Huber (Lombard, Ill.-Glenbard East), Mallory Powers (Amboy, Ill.-Amboy), and Ava Bardic (Lincolnshire, Ill.-Stevenson) were first team selections, while Kate Palmer (Geneva, Ill.-Geneva) and Sawyer White (Downers Grove, Ill.-Montini Catholic) were tabbed second team selections. Huber, Powers, and Bardic went on to earn D3hoops All-Region accolades, with Mia Smith reeling in D3hoops Region 8 Coach of the Year honors. Huber later received All-America distinction from both the WBCA and D3hoops.com, while Smith was named a finalist for the WBCA National Coach of the Year.
WBCA Coaches Poll - Final Rankings - March 24, 2025
|
Rank
|
School (final record)
|
Total
Points
|
Previous
Rank
|
First-Place
Votes
|
|
1
|
NYU (31-0)
|
250
|
1
|
10
|
|
2
|
Smith (31-3)
|
240
|
9
|
0
|
|
3
|
UW-Oshkosh (27-5)
|
225
|
13
|
0
|
|
4
|
Bowdoin (29-1)
|
211
|
2
|
0
|
|
5
|
UW-Stout (23-8)
|
210
|
RV
|
0
|
|
6
|
Illinois Wesleyan (28-2)
|
198
|
4
|
0
|
|
7
|
Scranton (29-2)
|
196
|
5
|
0
|
|
8
|
Gustavus Adolphus (29-2)
|
183
|
6
|
0
|
|
9
|
Gettysburg (28-3)
|
150
|
11
|
0
|
|
10
|
Wartburg (26-3)
|
143
|
8
|
0
|
|
11
|
Baldwin-Wallace (29-2)
|
142
|
10
|
0
|
|
12
|
Whitman (27-2)
|
127
|
7
|
0
|
|
13
|
Johns Hopkins (24-5)
|
118
|
14
|
0
|
|
14
|
Christopher Newport (26-2)
|
111
|
3
|
0
|
|
15
|
Ohio Wesleyan (25-4)
|
103
|
16
|
0
|
|
16
|
Randolph-Macon (29-2)
|
99
|
20
|
0
|
|
17
|
Trine (25-4)
|
93
|
15
|
0
|
|
18
|
Washington and Lee (25-5)
|
79
|
19
|
0
|
|
19
|
UW-Whitewater (24-7)
|
74
|
22
|
0
|
|
20
|
Messiah (25-3)
|
58
|
12
|
0
|
|
21
|
Elizabethtown (23-5)
|
57
|
21
|
0
|
|
22t
|
Catholic (24-5)
|
32
|
17
|
0
|
|
22t
|
East Texas Baptist (23-5)
|
32
|
18
|
0
|
|
24
|
Texas Lutheran (24-5)
|
28
|
24
|
0
|
|
25
|
Western New England (25-4)
|
24
|
RV
|
0
|
Dropped out: No 23 UMass-Dartmouth (23-5); No. 25 Colorado College (23-4).
Others receiving votes: SUNY Geneseo (24-7) 17; Carnegie Mellon (21-6) 14; UMass-Dartmouth (23-5) 13; Colorado College (23-4) 10; Montclair State (24-5) 7; McMurry (23-6) 6.
The WBCA NCAA Division III Coaches Poll Committee is composed of one head coach from each of the 10 NCAA Division III regions. The committee for the 2024-25 season: Samantha Crough, Regis (MA); Eric Harrison, Lehman; Melissa Kolbe, Wittenberg; Casey Kushiyama, Puget Sound; Jen McCormick, Illinois College; Bobbi Morgan, Ursinus; Mia Smith, Illinois Wesleyan; Daphne Thompson, SUNY Oneonta; Kelly Thompson, Roger Williams; Darrin Travillian, Maryville College.
D3hoops.com women's Top 25, 2024-25 Final
Dropped out: No. 19 East Texas Baptist; No. 24 Messiah
Others receiving votes: East Texas Baptist 50; UW-La Crosse 34; Washington and Jefferson 24; Texas Lutheran 21; Messiah 20; Cortland 19; Colorado College 18; Western New England 18; Amherst 12; Hope 11; Bates 8; Mass-Dartmouth 2; Southern Virginia 2; Trinity (Conn.) 2; UW-Stevens Point 1
The D3hoops.com Top 25 is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country, and is published weekly. Points are awarded on a 25-24-23-22-etc. basis.
