After finishing runner-up last season, St. Thomas has been tabbed the unanimous No. 1 selection in the 2018 Under Armour MCLA Division II Preseason Coaches Poll.
The Tommies, who have the most MCLA Division II titles (5), swept all 19 first place votes and were nearly 30 points clear of No. 2 Grand Valley State.
St. Thomas and GVSU are both part of the new UMLC-II, which placed all six of its members in the Top 7 of the poll. The Tommies and Lakers are joined by No. 3 North Dakota State, No. 4 Dayton, No. 6 St. John’s and No. 7 Minn.-Duluth.
No. 5 Sierra Nevada is the only non-UMLC outfit in the Top 7. Cal State Fullerton, Florida Gulf Coast and Bridgewater State fill out the Top 10.
2018 Under Armour MCLA Division II
Preseason Coaches Poll
Rank – Team – Points – 1st Place Votes
1. St. Thomas – 475 – 19
2. Grand Valley State – 447
3. North Dakota State – 427
4. Dayton – 410
5. Sierra Nevada – 397
6. St. John’s – 387
7. Minn.-Duluth – 356
8. Cal State Fullerton – 330
9. Florida Gulf Coast – 307
10. Bridgewater State – 302
11. Kennesaw State – 261
12. Montana – 234
13. Montana State – 232
14. Northern Arizona – 209
15. College of Idaho – 208
16. MSU Denver – 205
17. San Diego – 162
18. Louisiana – 144
19. Providence (Mont.) – 119
20. Missouri State – 99
21. UT-Dallas – 75
22. UC Santa Cruz – 73
23. Appalachian State – 56
24. Cal State San Marcos – 38
25. Western Washington – 34
Also receiving votes: Baylor (33), Central Conn. State (29), Southern Oregon (24), UC Davis (16), Fort Lewis (16), North Florida (12), UNC-Charlotte (9), Oklahoma State (8), Western Oregon (6), Colorado Denver (5), Gonzaga (4), Portland (4), Columbus State (3), Colorado Mines (2), Wake Forest (2), Stonehill (2).
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