COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (December 6, 2016) - Eleven teams from Region 8 - six women, five men - earned a spot in the National Junior College Athletic Association's first regular season basketball polls, released on Tuesday.

The women's poll, arguably, grabbed the headlines in the first regular season release, thanks to roughly one-fourth of the poll being represented by Region 8, including all five Panhandle Conference schools. 

Defending national champion Gulf Coast State College, who received the top ranking in the preseason, is ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball Poll. Chipola College, the 2015 national champions, is ranked third. 

Tallahassee Community College is 11th, Northwest Florida State College, 15th; and Pensacola State College, 19th. 

Palm Beach State College is the lone non-PC school in the national poll, checking in at No. 13.

In the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Poll, Northwest Florida State College is the highest ranked Region 8 school at No. 4. The Raiders opened the preseason as the No. 1 team but dropped after suffering a loss to San Jacinto (Texas) College. 

Tallahassee made a 13-spot climb to No. 6 while Eastern Florida State College dropped from fourth to No. 12 and Palm Beach State entered at No. 14 after being unranked in the preseason. 

Chipola is ranked No. 23 while Florida SouthWestern received votes.