Here are the NSCAA Women’s NCAA Division II Preseason Top 25 rankings as sanctioned and conducted by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America:
| Rank/Team | 1997 Record |
| 1. Franklin Pierce | 21-0-0 |
| 2. West Virginia Wesleyan | 21-2-1 |
| 3. Lynn | 19-2-1 |
| 4. Cal State Dominguez Hills | 16-4-2 |
| 5. Adelphi | 18-2-0 |
| 6. Truman State | 15-6-1 |
| 7. Barry | 14-2-2 |
| 8. Mesa State | 17-4-0 |
| 9. Sonoma State | 14-4-2 |
| 10. New Hampshire College | 15-4-0 |
| 11. Catawba | 13-10-0 |
| 12t. St. Joseph’s (Ind.) | 16-5-2 |
| 12t. East Stroudsburg | 16-5-0 |
| 14. Francis Marion | 14-3-1 |
| 15. Ashland | 12-7-0 |
| 16. Northern Colorado | 13-6-2 |
| 17. Bloomsburg | 13-4-2 |
| 18. Merrimack | 13-5-0 |
| 19t. Presbyterian | 13-6-1 |
| 19t. Mercyhurst | 13-3-1 |
| 21t. Lock Haven | 13-4-2 |
| 21t. Cal State Bakersfield | 12-6-2 |
| 23. Saint Anselm | 12-4-0 |
| 24. Lewis Univ. | 12-6-0 |
| 25. Lincoln Memorial | 17-2-2 |