WINONA, Minn. -— All season long, the Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team flew under the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 radar.

In fact, despite an impressive 35-10 record, the Cardinals went into the first game of the NCAA Division III Seed 1 Regional Tournament the same way they entered the season — unranked.

They weren't even among those in the "others receiving votes" category.

When the Cardinals exited the regional tournament with a 2-2 record — and a third-place finish — however, all that changed.

Fueled by their post-season performance, SMU landed the No. 17 spot in the NFCA's final Top 25 poll. Two-time defending national champion and Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rival St. Thomas (43-6) was a unanimous No. 1 selection, while Salisbury (44-6), Chapman (36-9), Ithaca (31-13) and Muskingum (42-7) rounded out the top five.