DIII Rankings Races Becoming More Tense as Season Nears End

NEW ORLEANS – The field is gaining on the No. 1 UW-La Crosse men in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III National Team Computer Rankings, while women’s indoor champion UW-Oshkosh made a big jump back into contention for the top spot.

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Each of the top five teams in the men’s rankings added to their team scores, including big jumps from No. 2 UW-Oshkosh, No. 3 UW-Eau Claire and No. 5 Whittier, while the UW-Oshkosh women jumped seven spots to No. 2 behind defending outdoor champion Wartburg.

The National Team Computer Rankings are a projection of how teams could fare at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. This is the first week that does not feature marks from 2012, except for combined events. An explanation of the rankings system can be found here.

Men’s Race Grows Closer as Season’s End Draws Nearer

With UW-Eau Claire jumping to No. 3, the top three has become a Cheese State struggle, while the remainder of the top five has become a "Battle of Whits" with No. 4 Whitworth and No. 5 Whittier up to the challenge.

No. 1 UW-La Crosse made decent gains with a net improvement of 8.2 points to a 198.02 team score, but most of the action in the top five took place between No. 2 and No. 5.

No. 2 UW-Oshkosh rocketed toward the top with a score of 180.43 after a net gain of 35.06 points. The Titans recorded 12 season’s-best performances in the event rankings, including six top-10 showings.

UW-Eau-Claire recorded an even bigger gain to jump two spots to No. 3, checking in at 137.83 after a 37.49 net gain. The rank is the highest in program history, surpassing the Blugolds’ previous high of No. 5 recorded in each of the past two weeks.

Whitworth dropped one spot to No. 4, but still improved 10.63 net points to 132.28 after winning the Northwest Conference Championship.

Whittier climbed three spots with a 27.37 net point gain to 113.64 to round out the top five. The program achieved its highest-ever rank for a second consecutive week after checking in at No. 8 a week ago.

UW-Oshkosh Women Jump the Pack to No. 2

Wartburg remained atop the DIII rankings for the 15th consecutive week, dating back to last season, and the 19th week in the past 23, dating back to 2011. The Knights checked in this week at 145.27, up 11.72 points from a week ago.

The most significant move in the top 10 came with indoor champion UW-Oshkosh jumping past a cluster of seven teams to No. 2 after a 14.25 net gain for a 100.32 team score. The Titans dropped to No. 9 last week with the removal of preseason data, snapping a streak of 20 consecutive rankings appearances at either No. 1 or 2.

UW-Oshkosh is at the head of a group that grew to 10 teams separated by 20 points, followed closely by No. 3 Illinois College at 99.30.

Wheaton (Mass.) moved up three spots to an all-time program best No. 4, checking in at 95.26 team points after a 4.85 net gain.

Ramapo finished out the top five with a team score of 94.55, down 2.56 net points from a week ago.

No. 6 George Fox (86.11 team points), No. 7 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (82.88), No. 8 Mount Union (81.95), No. 9 Emory (81.95), No. 10 Washington (Mo.) (80.81) and No. 11 Rowan (80.24) all also remain approximately 20 points shy of the second spot, building upon the possibility for a very competitive postseason.

Biggest Jump (Men): 85 – No. 24 Calvin College
Biggest Jump (Women): 25 – No. 16 UW-Whitewater