Hope International University’s Women’s Basketball team has earned their first ever NAIA Top 25 ranking. Currently ranked at #24, the Royals are 11-3 going into the second half of their season. They are also #7 in the NCCAA.

With 15 games still to play in 2014, the Royals are on track to have one of their best seasons in recent years. They are currently chasing the record for the most wins in a women’s basketball season since joining the GSAC (20 in 2005-06) and the overall win record (21 from the 1988-89 season).

After starting the season off the NAIA Top 25 radar, the Royals roared into contention with a 6-0 win streak, their best start since joining the GSAC in 1999. HIU then spent time sitting at #26, their previous highest NAIA ranking, while receiving votes. In the mean time, the team tallied up four more wins, helping them clinch the #24 spot.

One of the Royals’ standout players this season is Senior Andrina Rendon, who was named NCCAA Women's Basketball Division I Student-Athlete of the Week in November 2013.  Only six games into the season at that point, Rendon had already recorded two double doubles (she’s now at six). When she received the NCCAA recognition she had also just put up her career high 36 points against Eastern Oregon in the Royals’ 83-50 win over the Mountaineers. Rendon currently leads the Royals in total points scored for the season (306) and in average points per game (21.9).

The Royals’ first conference home game is coming up on January 14 versus #9 The Master’s College. Read more about HIU Athletics and check game schedules at www.hiuroyals.com.

Hope International University is a regionally ranked private Christian university in Southern California offering undergraduate, online, and graduate programs. Founded in 1928, HIU integrates faith, service and learning. Through undergraduate, graduate, and online degree programs with faculty and staff dedicated to student success, HIU students experience a transformative educational experience and are prepared to make an impact with their lives. Our diverse student body represents 44 states and 13 countries around the world.

To learn more, please visit the Hope International University website at http://www.hiu.edu or contact Katie Gladding, Director of Marketing, at 714.879.3901, x-2692.