Pride bounce back to where they started at No. 8 in the NAIA Coaches' Poll

DUBUQUE, Iowa - In the final NAIA Coaches Top 25 Poll release of the 2022 calendar year, the Clarke University women's basketball team finds itself right back where they had started the 2022-23 season at the No. 8 spot in the rankings.

The Pride are heading into their final week of conference games before starting their winter break as they sit at an 8-2 overall record and 3-2 inside of the Heart of America Athletic Conference as they suffered a pair of road losses to No. 4 Central Methodist and MidAmerica Nazarene.

The top five of the poll held from the previous release as it is the defending NAIA Champions Thomas More University at No. 1, the 2021 NAIA Champions Westmont College at No. 2, Campbellsville University at No. 3, CMU at No. 4 and the 2022 NAIA Tournament Runner-Up Dordt University at No. 5. CU flipped with the team they matched up with in the Round of 16 in last year's NAIA Tournament as Marian University jumped from No. 8 to No. 6 and Indiana Wesleyan held pat at No. 7.

The trio of Nicole McDermott, Emma Kelchen, and Taylor Haase are the Pride's leading scorers, all averaging over 11 points per game led by McDermott's 12.6 points per game. Tina Ubl has boosted her scoring output as of late, leading Clarke in scoring over their last two, including a 16-point performance in their win at Missouri Valley College to move the fifth-year senior into third place all time in career points score in CU women's basketball history.

Clarke women's basketball will be on the road tomorrow evening when they travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to take on Mount Mercy University before heading into break with a return to the Kehl Center on Saturday to host Benedictine College.