BIG RAPIDS — The Ferris State University women’s basketball squad, which capped off the most historic season in school history by reaching the NCAA Division II National Semifinals, is ranked third in the nation in the final Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll.
The Bulldogs’ No. 3 national ranking is the highest in program history in the WBCA poll. The poll was announced after the team last week reached the NCAA DII Final Four in St. Joseph, Missouri.
Ferris State totaled 492 points in voting by coaches across the country and climbed 11 spots from its previous No. 14 ranking in the most recent poll. The team had been as high as No. 4 in the nation at one point this year during the regular season.
The Bulldogs were ranked only behind national champion Minnesota State and runner-up Texas Woman’s University in the final poll of the year.
Ferris State was one of only two schools from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference to be listed among the top 25 in the final poll along with ninth-ranked Grand Valley State University. Fellow Midwest Region member Ashland University was listed eighth. The Bulldogs beat both squads during a memorable run to the Midwest Regional Championship this year.
Ferris State, which was guided by fourth-year head coach Kurt Westendorp, concluded the 2023-24 season with a school all-time best 26-6 overall record. The Bulldogs won the Midwest Regional Championship for the first time in program history and advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the first time, eventually reaching the national semifinals.
This season, the Bulldogs beat three teams that were ranked No. 1 in the nation at game time, including both GVSU (once) and Ashland (twice).
Additionally, FSU’s win over Grand Valley State in the Midwest Regional Championship game in Allendale came when the Lakers were ranked second in the country, giving Ferris State four wins this year over opponents ranked first or second nationally.
