By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
INDIANAPOLIS – Fort Hays State Women’s Soccer is ranked No. 6 in the second edition of the NCAA Central Region Rankings, released on Wednesday (Nov. 1). This is the first release with rankings assigned to the teams as the top 10 teams under consideration were listed last week alphabetically. The list of 10 teams can change week-to-week as future results affect the formulas used to produce region rankings.
Fort Hays State is in good shape at this point, sitting at 11-3-3 overall. The FHSU win over Southwestern College is removed from its record for region ranking purposes since results against NAIA or other NCAA level teams are not figured into the formula.
According to the report for the Central Region located at the bottom of the region rankings page on NCAA.com, Fort Hays State has the sixth-best In-Region RPI and seventh-best Division II Performance Indicator value in the Central Region. Washburn owns the highest In-Region RPI and St. Cloud is No. 2 in RPI, which reflects where each sit in the region rankings. Fort Hays State is seeking back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, with previous appearances in 2012, 2016, and 2022.
Eight teams from the Central Region will be selected to compete in the Central Regional of the NCAA Tournament following the conclusion of conference tournaments. The region consists of teams from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, and Great American Conference. Champions from each of the three conference tournaments within the region will receive automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament.
The MIAA and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) each have five teams listed in the first release. Though the Great American Conference (GAC) does not have a school in the list of 10 right now, one of its members will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by virtue of winning their conference tournament. Fort Hays State is 2-3-2 against the teams currently listed among the 10 in the region rankings.
Region rankings released by United Soccer Coaches on a weekly basis up to this point have no bearing on NCAA Region Rankings. The NCAA Region Rankings are the only set of rankings used for national tournament consideration.
NCAA Central Region rankings for November 1, 2023 is listed below.
| CENTRAL | TEAM | D2 RECORD | IN-REGION RECORD |
| 1 | Washburn | 15-2-1 | 15-2-1 |
| 2 | St. Cloud State | 12-3-2 | 12-3-2 |
| 3 | Minnesota State Mankato | 11-2-5 | 11-2-5 |
| 4 | Central Missouri | 13-3-2 | 13-3-2 |
| 5 | Augustana (South Dakota) | 9-5-3 | 9-5-3 |
| 6 | Fort Hays State | 11-3-3 | 11-3-3 |
| 7 | Emporia State | 9-5-4 | 9-3-4 |
| 8 | Northern State | 8-3-5 | 8-3-5 |
| 9 | Minnesota Duluth | 6-5-6 | 6-5-6 |
| 10 | Northwest Missouri State | 8-4-6 | 8-4-6 |