INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – With the South Atlantic Conference Tournament looming this weekend, the Carson-Newman Eagles got a nudge forward to fifth in the Southeast region the NCAA announced Wednesday afternoon.
It is the final batch of regional rankings before the Division II Selection Show Sunday night at 10 p.m. The top eight teams make the NCAA Division II Playoffs with an automatic qualifier coming from the South Atlantic Conference, the Peachbelt Conference and Conference Carolinas.
The Eagles finished second in the SAC, four games clear of seventh-ranked Anderson (S.C.) and five games clear of sixth-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne and ninth-ranked Tusculum. Carson-Newman is 6-3 against the top-10 schools in the regional rankings and its 22 regional wins are third-most among the top-10.
Fellow SAC member Wingate moved up to the No. 1 team in the rankings supplanting Armstrong while Peachbelt teams USC Aiken and GRU Augusta held pat at third and fourth.
At eighth was Lander while Columbus State rounded out the top-10.
Carson-Newman travels to Hickory, N.C. looking for its first SAC Tournament championship since 2002 and third overall. The first match for the Eagles is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday evening against the Mars Hill Lions.
| Rank | Team | In-Region Record | Overall Record |
| 1 | Wingate | 28-2 | 28-2 |
| 2 | Armstrong | 24-2 | 25-2 |
| 3 | South Carolina Aiken | 21-7 | 21-7 |
| 4 | Georgia Regents Augusta | 26-7 | 26-7 |
| 5 | Carson-Newman | 22-4 | 25-5 |
| 6 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 21-8 | 21-8 |
| 7 | Anderson (S.C.) | 21-7 | 23-7 |
| 8 | Lander | 21-9 | 21-9 |
| 9 | Tusculum | 16-14 | 16-14 |
| 10 | Columbus State | 14-14 | 14-14 |
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