Oskaloosa–The William Penn men’s basketball team will begin the second half of its campaign in the top five nationally as the NAIA released its second Division I rating Tuesday.

The Statesmen (12-1, 5-0 Heart), winners of 12 straight, move up one position since last month and have 219 total points. The ranking is the highest for William Penn since finishing the 2012-2013 campaign at #2.

New #1 Georgetown (Ky.) has 250 points and all 10 first-place votes. Pikeville (Ky.), Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.), and Columbia (Mo.) finish off the rest of the top five. #19 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) and #22 Central Methodist (Mo.) also represent the Heart of America Athletic Conference in the top 25; Benedictine (Kan.) is unofficially 29th and Avila (Mo.) is 36th.

William Penn returns to action Wednesday, traveling to Canton, Mo. to face Culver-Stockton at 7:30 p.m.

NAIA Men’s Basketball Rating #2 – January 5, 2016
(Number in parentheses is first-place votes)
1. Georgetown (Ky.) (10)
2. Pikeville (Ky.)
3. Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)
4. Columbia (Mo.)
5. William Penn
6. LSU-Alexandria
7. Lewis-Clarke State (Idaho)
8. Dalton State (Ga.)
9. Arizona Christian
10. Talladega (Ala.)
11. Hope International (Calif.)
12. Westmont (Calif.)
13. Texas Wesleyan
14. Xavier (La.)
15. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
16. Carroll (Mont.)
17. Wayland Baptist (Texas)
18. SAGU (Texas)
19. MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.)
20. Biola (Calif.)
21. Langston (Okla.)
22. Central Methodist (Mo.)
23. Montana State-Northern
24. Vanguard (Calif.)
25. Tougaloo (Miss.)

Others receiving votes: : Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) 42; Campbellsville (Ky.) 42; Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 31; Benedictine (Kan.) 27; Park (Mo.) 12; Wiley (Texas) 9; Mid-America Christian (Okla.) 6; Mobile (Ala.) 5; Oklahoma City 4; Montana Western 4; Avila (Mo.) 3.
Story provided by Wade Steinlage