Rochester, Mn-
The first full week of October was an eventful one in and around the Minnesota College Athletic Conference, with several fall sports seeing movement in the national NJCAA polls, and one sport crowning a Conference and Regional Championship.
Golf in the MCAC wrapped up it's fall slate, with perennial power M State capturing both a Conference and Regional title in outlasting the field by only one stroke for the Regional hardware. The Spartans came from behind in Day Two on the course known as The Quarry at Giants Ridge, a majestic setting in Biwabik, Minnesota. Click here for a full report on the combined MCAC/Region XIII event.
In football, it was a bad news/good news sort of weekend for the MCAC. The bad news was #10 Central Lakes College suffered their first Conference defeat in 15 weeks of MCAC play; the good news was that fellow Conference and Divisional rival Mesabi Range College was the team behind the upset, and with it, found themselves in the national poll discussion. Both CLC and Mesabi Range appear in the 'Receiving Votes' section of the NJCAA Top 20 Football poll; for a complete overview of the current rankings, please go to: http://www.njcaa.org/sports/fball/polls
The sixth edition of the NJCAA football poll this week represents the first appearance of the NJCAA Football Computer Rankings (FCR) as a portion of the criteria, combined with the votes of the national NJCAA football ranking committee. Future weekly polls will incorporate both metrics and with several marquee match-ups scheduled over the next several weeks, more movement in the polls is sure to follow. The Mesabi Range victory over Central Lakes was the first home field loss for the Raiders in almost six years. This week, MCAC football fans will likely have eyes on the North Dakota State College of Science vs. Dakota College-Bottineau contest, as both teams sit at 3-0 in the Western Division and are battling for more than just state bragging rights on Saturday in Wahpeton at 2pm. Full MCAC football information, including statistical category leaders, standings and more can be found at this link.
MCAC volleyball also saw an uptick in teams garnering national recognition, as four MCAC teams found themselves in the Top 10 in the current poll. St. Cloud Technical & Community College is the top-ranked Minnesota team, coming in at the fourth spot of the national poll. The Cyclones are 15-3 overall and 8-0 in the Southern Division, with a key test tonight as they travel to #9 M State for the second leg of their home-and-home Conference series. The first match-up of the Spartans and SCTCC proved memorable, with the 3-2 scoreline tilting in the favor of St. Could.
Wedged in between #4 SCTCC and #6 Ridgewater is #5 Central Lakes College. Coach Jane Peterson's squad is the only unbeaten Northern Division team remaining, and like St. Cloud Technical & Community College, will host a formable challenger tonight in Northland Community & Technical College. Perennial power Ridgewater College will see some national non-conference competition with a set of games in Texas at the Richland College Thunderduck Classic this weekend in Dallas. Rounding out the top ten is a surging M State Spartan team, which is 9-6 overall, but unbeaten in their last 3 games. The Fergus Falls squad seems to be gelling at the right time, and head into MCAC South matches tonight against SCTCC and October 13th against Minnesota West. For the complete the NJCAA Volleyball national poll, please visit: http://www.njcaa.org/sports/wvball/2017-18/div3/polls
Lastly, in men's soccer, Lake Superior College has wrapped up home-field playoff advantage by running the MCAC table so far to date. With one match yet to play, the Ice Hawks are unbeaten in Conference play and are 4-3 overall. LSC has one game remaining against Riverland Community College, at home on October 7th, and will use a pair of non-conference contests to prep for the NJCAA Regional Tournament to be held on October 18th and 21st. Women's soccer in the MCAC has Anoka Ramsey Community College in the drivers seat, also unbeaten in Conference play and owning a 6-2 overall record. ARCC will travel to Rochester Community & Technical College on Sunday, October 15th in the last Conference action for both teams before NJCAA regional play. Lake Superior and RCTC will also square off on Saturday, October 7th to complete the fall slate of league games.
For more information on all sports in the Minnesota College Athletic Confernece, be sure to bookmark: www.mcacsport.org
To view NJCAA national polls, stats and stories, please visit: www.njcaa.org
To Follow Minnesota College Athletic Conference sports in 2017, please go to: www.mcacsports.org
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This release sponsored in part by Gopher Sport.
Gopher Sport, based in Owatonna, is an industry leader in Physical Education, sports and fitness equipment. Gopher Sport is dedicated to providing programs and departments with the products to improve fitness, develop skills, create fun and reach a high standard of learning and living. Gopher Sport has diligently served teachers, coaches and athletic directors around the world for over 65 years.
About the Minnesota College Athletic Conference
The Minnesota College Athletic Conference is the organizational body for NJCAA-affiliated two-year technical and community college athletic programs in the Minnesota State system. The mission of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference is to advance intercollegiate athletics by providing an engaging and supportive environment for success of our student athletes and competition among member institutions. The MCAC is committed to the guiding principles of encouraging the development and success of student athletes, promoting the integrity, honesty and loyalty to member schools as well as upholding the sustainability of conference athletic programs.
Story Courtesy of MCAC Sports