|
Morningside Classic Tournament Web Site
Morningside made its most impressive showing of the young season with a convincing 84-53 romp past Mount Mercy in Friday’s final game on the opening day of action at the Morningside Classic.
The Mustangs’ 31-point victory came after a pair of thrillers earlier in the day when Hastings and Briar Cliff each won their games by two points. Morningside, the defending NAIA Division II National Champion, leveled its record at 2-2 after an opening weekend where it lost two games on the road in North Dakota.
Morningside led from wire-to-wire and led by 13 points, 18-5, less than seven minutes into the game.
Click here to read more.
 Morningside College is ranked No. 1 in the nation in the NAIA Division II pre-season women’s basketball poll released on October 26.
The Mustangs are the reigning NAIA Division II National Champions after they posted a 38-0 record last season to become only the second team in history to win the NAIA II crown with an undefeated record. Morningside returns three starters – Leslie Foral, Laura Nelson, and Brittany Williamson – from last year’s championship team.
Morningside defeated Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) rival Hastings College 68-63 in last year’s national title game. Hastings is ranked fourth in the NAIA II pre-season poll, while the GPAC’s Northwestern College is ranked second. The University of Sioux Falls is ranked 15th and Concordia University is ranked 22nd to give the GPAC five schools in the NAIA pre-season Top 25.
Morningside will open the season this weekend with games at Minot State University on Friday and 10th-ranked Dickinson State University on Saturday. The Mustangs will go into the season riding a 55-game winning streak in regular season contests.
Click here for the complete NAIA II Pre-Season Top 25.
 Morningside has been tabbed the favorite to win the 2009-10 GPAC women’s basketball championship by the league’s head coaches.
The Mustangs received seven of a possible 13 first place votes and top the GPAC Coaches’ Pre-Season Poll with 139 points for a two-point margin over Northwestern College, which received the other six first place votes.
The Mustangs, who have won at least a share of the GPAC’s regular season championship for five years running, are coming off a banner 2008-09 season where they posted a 38-0 record and became only the second team in history to capture the NAIA Division II National Championship with an undefeated record.
Morningside returns 10 letterwinners, including three starters, from last year’s National Championship team.
The Mustangs will open the season on Oct. 30 with a 5:30 p.m. game against Minot State University in Minot, N.D.
Poll Results
| 
