Women's basketball holds steady in rankings
INDIANOLA, Iowa – The Simpson women's basketball team held steady in the latest release of the national polls, coming in at No. 11 in the USA TODAY Sports Top 25 Coaches' Poll and No. 14 in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll.
The Storm (14-1, 4-0 IIAC) extended their winning streak to five games with a 74-54 win over Loras on Wednesday night and went 2-0 last week with wins at Luther on Wednesday (71-62) and at home against Wartburg on Saturday (66-57).
Simpson's 26th-year head coach Brian Niemuth improved his career record to 492-194 with the win over Loras, as he closes in on win No. 500. Niemuth would become only the 20th coach in Division III women's basketball history to reach the mark.
The Storm close the week with a trip to Dubuque to face the Spartans. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday.
USA TODAY Sports Top 25 Coaches' Poll - Week 7 (Jan. 15)
| Rank | School (1st votes) | Record |
| 1 | DePauw (8) | 15-0 |
| 2 | Calvin | 13-1 |
| 3 | Amherst | 15-0 |
| 4 | Tufts | 16-0 |
| 5 | Messiah | 14-1 |
| 6 | Hope | 14-1 |
| 7 | Washington U. | 12-2 |
| 8 | Lewis and Clark | 14-1 |
| 9 | St. Thomas | 11-2 |
| 10 | Ohio Northern | 14-1 |
| 11 | Simpson | 13-1 |
| 12 | Thomas More | 14-1 |
| 13 | Montclair State | 16-0 |
| 14 | UW-Stevens Point | 13-3 |
| 15 | Lebanon Valley | 13-2 |
| 16 | Southern Maine | 15-0 |
| 17 | Cornell (Iowa) | 14-0 |
| 18 | Babson | 13-1 |
| 19 | Catholic | 14-1 |
| 20 | Emory | 12-2 |
| 21 | Mount Union | 12-3 |
| 22 | Ferrum | 12-0 |
| 23 | George Fox | 12-3 |
| t24 | Christopher Newport | 13-0 |
| t24 | UW-Whitewater | 12-4 |
D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll - Week 7 (through Jan. 13)
| No. | School (1st votes) | Record |
| 1 | DePauw (23) | 15-0 |
| 2 | Calvin (2) | 13-1 |
| 3 | Hope | 14-1 |
| 4 | Amherst | 14-0 |
| 5 | Messiah | 14-1 |
| 6 | Tufts | 15-0 |
| 7 | Washington U. | 12-2 |
| 8 | Ohio Northern | 14-1 |
| 9 | Lewis and Clark | 14-1 |
| 10 | Thomas More | 14-1 |
| 11 | Montclair State | 16-0 |
| 12 | St. Thomas | 11-2 |
| 13 | Souther Maine | 15-0 |
| 14 | Simpson | 13-1 |
| 15 | UW-Stevens Point | 13-3 |
| 16 | Christopher Newport | 13-0 |
| 17 | Lebanon Valley | 13-2 |
| 18 | Catholic | 14-1 |
| 19 | Cornell (Iowa) | 14-0 |
| 20 | Babson | 13-1 |
| 21 | Ferrum | 12-0 |
| 22 | Moravian | 14-1 |
| 23 | George Fox | 12-3 |
| 24 | UW-Whitewater | 12-4 |
| 25 | Mount Union | 12-3 |
