JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State didn't just hold on to the top spot in the latest poll, the Gamecocks increased their lead.
 
The National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) released its February coaches poll on Thursday, and the Gamecocks (67-10) found themselves a unanimous choice for the No. 1 spot just two months after claiming the first No. 1 ranking in the program's young history.
 
The Gamecocks are in their inaugural season and had never knocked over a pin before the 2023-24 season began in October, but now they are the first unanimous No. 1 in the NTCA Coaches Poll since the final poll of 2017 and the first team since 2013 to be the unanimous choice for the top spot in an in-season poll.
 
Jax State received all 43 first-place votes in Thursday's poll after what has been a dominant first season of competition. Head coach Shannon O'Keefe, who was also the head coach of the last unanimous No. 1 (McKendree on April 26, 2017), has watched her team win five-straight tournaments against the nation's best teams.
 
The Gamecocks lead a poll that is top-heavy with Conference USA teams. No. 1 Jax State is one of six CUSA teams in the top eight, with No. 2 Youngstown State, No. 3 Arkansas State, No. 5 Vanderbilt, No. 7 LA Tech and No. 8 Stephen F. Austin following. Other CUSA teams in the poll are No. 11 Sam Houston, No. 12 Tulane and No. 20 Valparaiso.
 
The Gamecocks were ranked seventh in the preseason poll before ever competing in an event and caught the attention of the competition with an 8-5 record and a runner-up finish in their first tournament at Destination Orlando. 
 
They haven't looked back since, going 59-5 with first-place trophies from every event they've played since.
 
They won their next two tournaments – the MOTIV Ladyjack Classic and the Hawk Classic – and earned the top spot in the December poll for the school's first No. 1 ranking in any sport since 2015. 
 
The Gamecocks' dominant play continued into the new calendar year. They started January with a win at the Stormin' Blue & White Vegas Classic, sparking a 28-match win streak that would also lead to titles at the Northeast Classic and a stacked Prairie View A&M Invitational.
 
Jax State's first chance to defend the unanimous top spot will be on Feb. 16-18 at Arkansas State's Mid-Winter Invitational, the first of four more events before the CUSA Championship from March 21-24 in Harahan, La. NCAA Regionals will follow on April 4-6.