Lincoln, Grand Valley State Are Indoor Preseason Top Teams in Division II

NEW ORLEANS – The men’s team at Lincoln University of Missouri and the women’s team at Grand Valley State University are the preseason No. 1-ranked teams in the country for the 2012 NCAA indoor track & field season in Division II. The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) national team computer rankings placed Lincoln – who placed third at the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships – and Grand Valley State – the nation’s defending champion women’s team – in the top spot.

PDFs: Top 25 | Full by Team | Event-by-Event
Previous Rankings

Lincoln’s men returns a squad that placed third (41 points) at last year’s NCAA Championships. The Blue Tigers return defending 200-meter champion Terrel Cotton among five other individual scorers set to make another run in 2012. In addition, Lincoln sophomore Romel Lewis currently leads the division with a 6.67 clocking in the 60 meters that was recorded in December.

Defending men’s national team champions Abilene Christian begin the season at No. 24 in the national rankings. Of the 49 points scored last year to win the national crown, only five return for the Wildcats with now-senior Nick Jones in the shot put (fourth place). No. 2 Saint Augustine’s placed sixth at last year’s indoor championships and is looking for their first indoor crown since 2009. No. 3 Adams State – seventh a year ago – won the NCAA title in 2010. Ashland, last year’s runner-up team, starts the season at No. 4 and returns defending weight throw champ Ryan Loughney who has already bettered his season-best from last year in the event.

On the women’s side, No. 1 Grand Valley State has a clear distance from the rest of the pack to begin the season. The 301.79 ranking points are the second-most in ranking history. Only GVSU’s 306.58 in week two last year has been better.

The defending champion Lakers scored 83 points to runner-up Lincoln’s 51 at last year’s national meet. GVSU – also the defending outdoor champions – won their first-ever track & field national crowns a year ago as part of a triple-crown school year. GVSU returns 2011 indoor national champions Monica Kinney and Lauren Buresh. Kinney won the distance double last year with titles in the Mile and 5000 meters while Buresh took the shot put crown.

No. 2 Lincoln returns now-sophomore Judith Riley who scored a national title in the 60 meters during her freshman campaign. Riley was also the nation’s runner-up in the 200 meters. Lincoln last won the national team title in 2009 and 2010. No. 3 Adams State – the 2008 NCAA Champs – was third last year and returns 60-meter hurdle champ Indira Spence.

The GLIAC holds the top spot among conferences to start the season with five member institutions in the preseason top 25 in both men’s and women’s rankings.

The next round of computer rankings will be released on January 24. The 2012 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships will be held in Mankato, Minn., on March 9-10.