Johns Hopkins Men Soar Into Top 10 of Division III National Coaches Polls

NEW ORLEANS – Johns Hopkins’ women have been No. 1 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III National Coaches Poll for the entire 2013 season, and now their male teammates have joined them in the top-10.

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The Blue Jay men took down Dickinson and Haverford at the Centennial Conference Championships to win the title and jump 24 positions in the poll to No. 8 — their first appearance in the top 10 since the beginning of USTFCCCA records in 2008.

Conference championship weekend produced a number of changes to both polls, with the most top-10 movement taking place in the men’s poll. Including Johns Hopkins, seven of the top 10 spots are occupied by different teams this week, while half of the top 10 women’s positions are changed.

This poll will hold through regional championships next weekend, as there will not be a new poll this coming Wednesday.

Men

NCAA Division III National Coaches Poll Top 5 – Men
1)	2)	3)	4)	5)
North Central (Ill.).	Washington (Mo.)	St. Olaf	UW-La Crosse (+1)	Williams (+1)
View Complete Men’s National Coaches Poll

Behind third-place finisher Max Robinson, No. 8 Johns Hopkins took the Centennial Conference title over Dickinson, which entered the meet as the highest-ranked team at No. 8, and defending league champion Haverford, which was ranked No. 12. Five of the top 11 finishers propelled the Blue Jays to a narrow 34-39 victory over Dickinson.

Dickinson has since fallen into a tied at No. 13 with Tufts — itself up 10 spots from the last poll — while Haverford dropped to No. 15.

Two-time defending national champion No. 1 North Central (Ill.), No. 2 Washington (Mo.) and No. 3 St. Olaf each claimed conference titles this past weekend to remain atop the poll. North Central took its 40th consecutive CCIW win, Washington its fourth straight UAA crown behind National Athlete of the Week Drew Padgett and St. Olaf the MIAC title.

No. 4 UW-La Crosse moved up one spot following a WIAC title. Led by five top-15 finishers, the Eagles defeated UW-Eau Claire — up two spots to No. 9 –and UW-Oshkosh, which dropped a position to No. 11, 53-58-66.

 Williams improved a position to No. 5. The Ephs claimed victories over No. 6 Middlebury, No. 13 Tufts, No. 21 Bowdoin, No. 26 Colby and No. 32 Bates. Colin Cotton finished runner-up for Williams as three top-10 finishers led the way to a 51-62 win over Middlebury, which fell two spots from No. 4 as a result.

Bates and Bowdoin each fell dramatically in the poll following the meet, sliding 15 and eight spots, respectively.

Tied with Middlebury at No. 6 was NYU, which improved one position from two weeks ago with a runner-up finish at the UAA Championships to No. 2 Washington (Mo.).

Rounding out the top 10 this week was Central (Iowa), which dropped one spot to No. 10 despite winning the IIAC title for the second consecutive year behind individual winner Austin O’Brien and the next two individual finishers.

Two new teams joined the poll, as No. 23 Willamette and No. 34 RPI entered the top 35 for the first time this season. Willamette impressed with an NWC title behind winner Parker Bennett to earn the Bearcats’ highest rank since coming in at No. 22 in week one of the 2011 season.

RPI is in the poll for the first time since the week seven edition last season, when it was No. 35.

Returning to the poll is No. 27 St. Lawrence after a one-poll absence. It last appeared in week five at No. 35.

Women

NCAA Division III National Coaches Poll Top 5 – Women
1)	2)	3)	4)	5)
Johns Hopkins	Middlebury	Wartburg (-1)	MIT	Calvin
View Complete Women’s National Coaches Poll

No. 1 defending champion Johns Hopkins held steady at No. 1 following a Centennial Conference title for the sixth straight season, while No. 2 Middlebury remained as such with a dominant win over No. 6 Williams at the NESCAC Championships, 29-51.

No longer sharing that No. 2 spot with Middlebury is No. 3 Wartburg, which fell out of a tie with the Panthers despite a win at the IIAC Championships. The Knights, running without team leaders Sammi Bruett and Elana Enabnit, still managed a decisive 30-41 victory over No. 33 Loras.

A seventh straight NEWMAC title behind individual champ Elaine McVay kept MIT buoyed at No. 4, while an eighth MIAA title in nine years kept Calvin and individual champion Cassie Vince — a former National Athlete of the Week — at No. 5.

Williams remained stationary at No. 6 after its runner-up finish to Middlebury at the NESCAC meet. The Ephs were boosted by individual winner Kaleigh Kenny.

The biggest gainer in the top 10 was No. 7 Chicago, which defeated a pair of then-top-10 squads in NYU and Washington (Mo.) to win the UAA Championships. Individual runner-up Catherine Young led Chicago to a narrow 54-60 victory over NYU, which dropped one spot from No. 8 to No. 9.

Washington (Mo.), which entered the meet No. 10 in the nation, fell seven spots to  No. 17 following a fourth-place finish. Third-place Brandeis jumped 11 positions in the poll into a tied with St. Olaf at No. 22 — its highest rank since a No. 20 entry in week one of 2010.

Displaced by Chicago was No. 8 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, which won its SCIAC Championship.

SUNY Geneseo improved one spot to No. 10 following a dominant team title at the SUNYAC Championships behind individual winner Keira Wood.

Two new teams joined the poll in No. 31 Ohio Wesleyan and No. 33 Loras. Ohio Wesleyan is a top-35 team for the first time since USTFCCCA records began in 2009, while Loras is ranked for the first time since a No. 34 citation at the end of the 2008 season.

Re-entering the poll was No. 32 Hamilton.

The 2013 NCAA Division III National Championships will be contested November 23 in Hanover, Ind., and will be broadcast on NCAA.com.