STARKVILLE, Miss. – After starting the season 8-0, Alabama-Huntsville has been tabbed as the No. 1 team in the nation, according to the latest NFCA Division II Top 25 poll that was released by the Association on Wednesday.

The Chargers received 14 of 16 first-place votes in the poll and finished 18 points ahead of North Georgia. The Saints (9-1) also received a first-place vote and, like Alabama-Huntsville, moved up one spot in the first regular-season poll from its position in the preseason rankings.

West Texas A&M used an 8-1 start to jump up two spots to third, while Cal State Chico, which also received a first-place vote, (9-2) shot up 11 spots, from 15th to fourth. Valdosta State (7-2) also moved up one spot this week to round out the top five in fifth.

Six teams fell out of favor with the voters this week, leaving six spots open for teams to make their 2012 debut in the rankings. No. 12 Arkansas Monticello (2-3), No. 13 Minnesota St. Mankato (2-3), No. 20 Midwestern State (7-4), No. 22 West Virginia Wesleyan (0-0), No. 24 Colorado Mines (3-8) and No. 25 Merrimack (0-0) all exited the poll this week after the first three weeks of play.

Leading the way for teams new to the rankings were Cal State Monterey Bay (11-3) and Indianapolis (4-0) who soared to the middle of the pack and tied at No. 13. Also making their debuts this week were Barry (11-2) at No. 15, Cal State Dominguez Hills (13-2) at No. 20, Winona State (4-1) at No. 23 and Flagler (11-2) at No. 25.

The NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll is voted on by 16 NCAA Division II head coaches, two representing each of the eight NCAA regions. Current 2012 records are shown, first-place votes are in parentheses.

To view the entire poll, click here.