San Antonio – St. Mary’s University turned a school-record win streak into a national ranking on Tuesday when the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) top 25 poll included the Rattlers for the first time this season.

The Rattlers, who have won a school-record 22 straight games, debuted at #24 in the poll released Tuesday afternoon. They defeated Lincoln University on Saturday night in Jefferson City, Mo., to wrap up the regular season. The Rattlers have played two teams currently ranked in the poll, sixth-ranked Concordia University-St. Paul, who defeated the Rattlers earlier this season, and 23rd-ranked Hillsdale College, who the Rattlers beat in San Antonio on Dec. 19.

The national ranking is the first for the Rattlers since the 2002-03 season in which they debuted at #12, but fell out of the rankings after the Dec. 11, 2002 poll. The Rattlers highest-ever ranking in the poll came during the 2001-02 season in which they climbed as high as sixth in the nation after setting a then-school record of 19 straight wins, which this year’s team recently broke.

St. Mary’s has completed regular season play with a 23-4 overall record and a perfect 14-0 mark in Heartland Conference competition, just the second time in school history that the Rattlers have gone through the regular season undefeated in conference play. The Rattlers will return to action on Friday when they travel to Denton to take on Oklahoma Panhandle State University in the first round of the Heartland Conference Tournament. The game tips off at noon and will be broadcast live over “Sounds from the Snakepit” on www.rattlerathletics.com.

WBCA National Poll
1. Delta State University (Miss.) – 26-0
2. Seattle Pacific University (Wash.) – 25-0
3. University Of South Dakota – 26-1
4. Holy Family University (Pa.) – 28-0
5. University of North Dakota – 25-2
6. Concordia University, St. Paul (Minn.) – 26-2
7. University of Alaska Anchorage – 25-3
8. Drury University (Mo.) – 24-3
9. Fort Lewis College (Colo.) – 26-2
10. Stonehill College (Mass.) – 23-4
11. University of West Georgia – 24-3
12. Anderson University (S.C.) – 26-2
13. Arkansas Tech University – 23-4
14. Valdosta State University (Ga.) – 23-4
15. West Texas A&M University – 23-4
16. Indiana University Of Pennsylvania – 24-4
17. Franklin Pierce University (N.H.) – 23-4
18. California State University, Chico – 24-5
19. Tusculum College (Tenn.) – 24-3
20. Washburn University (Kan.) – 22-5
21. Emporia State University (Kan.) – 21-6
22. California University Of Pennsylvania – 22-5
23. Hillsdale College (Mich.) – 23-4
24. St. Mary’s University (Texas) – 23-4
25. Michigan Technological University – 21-7

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