Pride reach new heights as No. 5 in latest NAIA Poll

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Coming off of their fifth win to start the season, the Clarke University women's basketball team learned that they moved up to the No. 5 team in the NAIA Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25  Poll on Wednesday.

With voting taking place prior to Tuesday's games, the Pride moved up to No. 5 from their preseason No. 8 ranking following a 4-0 start to their season with a pair of home wins over Briar Cliff and Cardinal Stritch and road victories over Saint Xavier and Governors State.

Entering the top five for the first time in program history, Clarke women's basketball also becomes the first program in Clarke University athletics history to reach an NAIA top five ranking since CU joined the NAIA in the 2007-08 academic year.

The remainder of the top five includes defending NAIA Champion Thomas More University at No. 1, the 2020-21 national champion Westmont College at No. 2, Campbellsville University at No. 3, and Indiana Wesleyan at No. 4.

Following their 78-62 win over Columbia College on Tuesday night, the Pride earned their first 5-0 start as a program since the 2019-20 season where they eventually ranked as high as No. 19 on multiple occasions that season.

So far this season, Clarke is averaging 66.0 points per game and holding opponents to 52.2 points per game and 31.7 percent shooting from the field where the Pride are shooting 41.5 percent through some up and down offensive performances.

Juniors Nicole McDermott and Taylor Haase are tied at the top of the scoring leaderboard for the Pride, both at 13.2 point per game as both add about five and a half rebounds per game as well.

Seniors Emma Kelchen, Skylar Culbertson, and Tina Ubl have provided their stability of experience in the lineup through five games as Kelchen has especially boosted her offensive performance in her last two games scoring 21 and 17 respectively to get into a double figures scoring average currently at 10.6 points per game.

Culbertson is the team's leading rebounder as the 5-4 point guard sits at 6.2 rebounds per game just ahead of Kelchen's 6.0 rebounding average and Ubl hasn't found her usual offensive touch but continues to contribute in all areas averaging four rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block per game.

Clarke went through the first four games without starting guard Giana Michels, who returned to the floor in last night's game against Columbia, but Haase and sophomore Mya Merschman have filled Michels' starting role strongly early on.

CU women's basketball will begin their Heart of America Athletic Conference schedule next Tuesday when they host Grand View University on Nov. 22 at 6:00 p.m. at the Kehl Center followed by a road trip to No. 6 Central Methodist on Saturday, Nov. 26 for a 2022 Heart Tournament Championship rematch.