NEWBERG, Ore. --- The George Fox women's basketball team has long been a staple of excellence. The Bruins have made the national championship in 2012 and 2015, and capped off an undefeated 32-0 campaign in 2009 with a national championship win over Washington University. 

That sustained success has shown in their position in the D3hoops.com national rankings, the premier ranking system for Division III basketball. Since the rankings' inception in 1999, the Bruin women have been ranked in the Top 25 for 208 weeks. No other Northwest Conference team has been ranked for more than 47 weeks. In fact, the 208 weeks ranked by D3hoops.com is good for the sixth-most in DIII history.

This year, George Fox begins the year ranked No. 24 in the D3Hoops poll, receiving 108 votes. Excluding last year's COVID-shortened season, the Bruins have been ranked in every season since the 2003 campaign. After years of using experience to win games, the No. 24 ranked Bruins will have a wealth of youth at their disposal; of the 18 women on the roster, only five are upperclassmen. 

George Fox began their season with a trip to Victoria, Canada, where they competed in two scrimmages against Camosun College. The Bruins hosted their annual alumni game on Sunday, Oct. 24, before two additional exhibition games against Bushnell and Northwest University (Wash.). Their season officially begins with a trip to New York on November 11th, while their NWC schedule starts on December 3rd with a tilt at home against Pacific (Ore.).

In the NWC, the Whitman Blues are favored to win the conference, entering the season ranked No. 4 in the country. The Bruins will play the Blues twice, hosting Whitman on January 21st and traveling to Walla Walla on February 19. Both teams are expected to compete on the national level. Though they may not be the highest-ranked team in the conference, if history has proved anything, it's to never doubt Bruin basketball.