Western Washington University was again the leader in the third NCAA Division II West Region women's basketball ranking released Wednesday, March 6.

The rating was the last of the season with selections for the West Regional slated for Sunday, March 10, on NCAA.com at 7 p.m. The Vikings are battling Simon Fraser and Chico State for the No. 1 seed and opportunity to host this year's regional of the NCAA Division II national tournament on March 15-16 and 18.

WWU, 23-3 overall, won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season title with a 17-1 record. The Vikings are the No. 1 seed in this week's GNAC Tournament, meeting the winner of today's Montana State Billings/Seattle Pacific first-round game in a semifinal match-up Friday (2:15 p.m.). The championship contest is Saturday (5:15 p.m.) and will be televised on ROOT Sports.

WWU, ranked No. 6 nationally, is followed in the West Region by Simon Fraser, Chico State, Cal State Monterey Bay, Grand Canyon, UC San Diego, Hawaii Pacific, Montana State Billings, Northwest Nazarene and Academy of Art.

The regional ranking helps determine which five at-large teams join the tournament champions from the GNAC, Pacific West Conference and California Collegiate Athletic Association in the West Regional.

NCAA II West Region Rankings

1. Western Washington

2. Simon Fraser

3. Chico State

4. Cal State Monterey Bay

5. Grand Canyon

6. UC San Diego

7. Hawaii Pacific

8. Montana State Billings

9. Northwest Nazarene

10. Academy of Art