LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The top three teams in the NFCA Division III Top 25 unanimously remain the same for the second straight week, with top-ranked Texas-Tyler in the No. 1 spot, followed by Emory and Texas Lutheran.
The (28-2) Patriots highlighted a 5-0 week with a doubleheader sweep of then-No. 5 East Texas Baptist (24-6), while Emory’s only action was a split with junior college squad Georgia Highlands to keep the (31-1) Eagles the consensus second-choice in the poll for the fourth straight week. Texas Lutheran (29-2), meanwhile, went 5-1 last week to remain the solid No. 3 team.
Luther (23-1) takes over the fourth spot after extending its win streak to 21, while Virginia Wesleyan (21-4) also moves up three places — to No. 5 — after a sweep of then-No. 4 Christopher Newport (23-4) in a 4-0 week. Salisbury (21-4) and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (22-5-1) are both up three places each, followed by Christopher Newport at No. 8, Illinois Wesleyan (13-3) at No. 9 and Berry (24-6) rounding out the top 10.
East Texas Baptist won its other three games during the week against Ozarks, but fell six places to 11th, while Washington (Mo.) dropped seven spots — to 13th — after being swept by Illinois Wesleyan and losing to Central (Iowa) in a 3-3 week.
Three-time defending national champion Tufts (8-6) fell out of the poll for the first time since March 21, 2012, after a 1-2 week, which included being swept by surging but unranked Williams (14-5). The Jumbos had been not only ranked, but the No. 1 team in 23 of 27 polls — including 16 straight — since April 30, 2014. Reigning national runner-up Texas-Tyler took the top spot from Tufts beginning with this year’s preseason Top 25 on Feb. 3.
Illinois’ Wheaton College (16-4) returns as the new No. 25 team, while Manhattanville (19-1), Widener (15-3) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (13-5) are new schools in the receiving votes category this week.
The NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll is selected by Division III head coaches representing the eight NCAA regions. Records through Sunday’s games are listed, with first-place votes in parentheses.
NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll – April 6, 2016
| Rank | Team | 2016 Record | Points | Previous |
| 1 | Texas-Tyler (8) | 28-2 | 200 | 1 |
| 2 | Emory | 31-1 | 192 | 2 |
| 3 | Texas Lutheran | 29-2 | 184 | 3 |
| 4 | Luther | 23-1 | 169 | 7 |
| 5 | Virginia Wesleyan | 21-4 | 168 | 8 |
| 6 | Salisbury | 21-4 | 146 | 9 |
| 7 | Claremont-Mudd-Scripps | 22-5-1 | 145 | 10 |
| 8 | Christopher Newport | 23-4 | 140 | 4 |
| 9 | Illinois Wesleyan | 13-3 | 126 | 13 |
| 10 | Berry | 24-6 | 124 | 11 |
| 11 | East Texas Baptist | 24-6 | 123 | 5 |
| 12 | Alma | 17-5 | 111 | 15 |
| 13 | Washington (Mo.) | 23-7 | 103 | 6 |
| 14 | Birmingham-Southern | 25-6 | 99 | 16 |
| 15 | Rowan | 17-5 | 91 | T18 |
| 16 | St. John Fisher | 13-3 | 78 | 12 |
| 17 | St. Catherine | 14-1 | 74 | T18 |
| 18 | Messiah | 19-2 | 61 | 22 |
| 19 | Moravian | 19-3 | 52 | 21 |
| T20 | Trine | 14-7 | 47 | 14 |
| St. Thomas (Minn.) | 15-3 | 47 | T23 | |
| 22 | Simpson | 21-4 | 28 | RV |
| 23 | Heidelberg | 15-5 | 22 | 17 |
| 24 | Cortland | 15-3 | 21 | RV |
| 25 | Wheaton (Ill.) | 16-4 | 13 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Manhattanville 11, Worcester Polytechnic Institute 8, Whitworth 7, Central (Iowa) 4, Widener 3 and Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2.
Dropped out: Wheaton (Mass.), University of Chicago, Tufts and Williams.
