OCU Athletics
Rich Tortorelli, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Oklahoma City University will begin the season at No. 3 according to the preseasonNAIA Division I women’s basketball rankings.
The Stars have made 254 appearances in the Top 25 since the 1997-98 school year, the longest active streak in the NAIA. The team jumped seven spots after finishing 10th in the 2018-19 final poll March 6. This will mark the fourth straight poll OCU, who garnered 201 points, has found themselves in the Top 10.
Sooner Athletic Conference foe Wayland Baptist (Texas) also found itself in the poll, coming in at No. 5. Mid-America Christian and Science & Arts of Oklahoma were voted just outside the Top 25, both among eight teams receiving votes.
OCU starts the season 7 p.m. Oct. 30 with an exhibition game at Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark. The Stars’ will start the regular season Nov. 8 against Texas A&M-Texarkana in Waxahachie, Texas in the Southwestern Assemblies of God Classic.
One OCU non-conference opponent is found in the newly released poll in Our Lady of the Lake (Texas). The Stars will face the sixth-ranked Saints on Nov. 30 in San Antonio in OCU’s second game in the Our Lady of the Lake Classic.
Oklahoma City will face No. 5 Wayland Baptist twice during conference play (Nov. 23 and Feb. 27). The Stars also compete against Mid-America Christian (Jan. 25 and Feb. 20) and USAO (Jan. 23 and Feb. 22) during SAC play as well.
A year ago, the Stars were voted into the top 10 in six of the eight released polls throughout the season.
OCU lost in last year’s NAIA Division I Championship Tournament title game to Montana Western to finish as national runner-up for the fourth time. The Stars finished the season 33-5 and 20-2 in SAC play, winning the regular-season title by one game over Wayland Baptist.
Oklahoma City has won national titles in 1988, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017.