The Western Nebraska Community College women's basketball team is quietly putting together a season for the record books.
WNCC, who moved to 21-1 on the season after their 83-57 win Friday at McCook Community College, climbed up two spots in this week's NJCAA national poll and landing in the Top Five at No. 4.
Sophomore Shanti Henry, from Wichita, Kansas, said it feels nice to move up, but that is not the goal of the team; they still need to keep improving to achieve some other goals on their minds.
"To be ranked in the top five really shows how our hard work has paid off," Henry said. "It is a good preview of how much we can achieve."
The Cougars trail only three teams in the national polls. Three Rivers Community College still holds down the No. 1 spot with their 22-0 record. Three Rivers eliminated the Cougars at the national tournament a year ago after the Cougars won their first two games.
Coming in at No. 2 is Shelton State Community College, who also remained at the same spot from last week. Georgia Highlands moved up a spot in the rankings to No. 3 this week. WNCC is next at No. 4 followed by Wabash Valley College.
The Cougars have been higher in the past couple years. WNCC was as high as No. 2 in 2020 and entered the national tournament with a bye in the first round. That season, however, was cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Henry said the high ranking really doesn't have an effect on the team because they are going to continue playing like they have and keep the same mindset.
"I don't think all of us players are not going to let it affect us because we all think this is where we should be," Henry said. "I don't think any of us are getting a big head. We all like the spot we are in."
The spot, at times, seems they have a bullseye on their back. For the team, though, they don't look at it that way because that bullseye has been there all year because every team wants to Western Nebraska Community College.
"I think the bullseye has been there all year," Henry said. "As a program Western Nebraska is usually on top. I think being ranked this high does motivate us, but we know we could be higher ranked, too."
Moving up, though, isn't the focus. The Cougars have only been number one in the country once in the history of the program and that was back in February 2005. In fact, that year, both the men and women were ranked No. in the country the same week.
Henry said it would be cool if they moved up, but that wouldn't change anything. Their goal is to win a national championship.
"I think it would be pretty cool if we moved up, but I don't think it would change anything for anyone with our mindset," she said. "I don't think the ranking affects how any of us thinks or if we are going to play any different."
A big reason for the Cougars emergence in the Top 5 is the Cougars are also among the top five in the World Exposure Report, that focuses on women's basketball. That ranking has the Cougars at No. 2 with Shelton State at No. 1 and Three Rivers at No. 3.
The Cougars are also No. 1 in the country in scoring where they are scoring at a clip of 90.5 points a contest. Eastern Oklahoma State is No. 2 at 89.9 followed by Three Rivers (89.1). Not only that, the Cougar women are fourth in the nation in made free throws at 372 and 20th in made 3-pointers with 164.
Henry said this team just continues to get better each day. WNCC has won 16 straight games since a loss to College of Southern Idaho in November. CSI fell from No. 5 in the rankings last week to No. 13 this week.
"I think right now we continue to grow each game," Henry said. "We know what we need to work on and what we are already good at. I think if we keep playing the way we have been playing, we are going to win our region and then have a really good shot at going far at nationals or just winning it all."
WNCC has just five regular season contests left, four of which are on the road. The Cougars will be at Trinidad State College on Saturday before taking on Otero College on Sunday. After that, they will have road trips to Lamar and Northeastern Junior College. WNCC will then wrap up the regular season on Monday, February 21 when they host Northeastern Junior College in a 6 p.m. tilt. That game was originally scheduled for January, but was postponed Feb. 21.