UW-La Crosse is the Latest Women’s No. 1 in the Close Battle Atop the DIII National Team Rankings

NEW ORLEANS – Just one week after losing the top spot in the Division III National Team Computer Rankings to in-state rival UW-Oshkosh, the UW-La Crosse women have stormed back to the top following a resounding WIAC Championship win.

The Eagles rejoined their defending national champion male teammates atop the week six rankings released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

La Crosse’s women were boosted to the No. 1 spot by a DIII-leading 100 meters performance from Meg Heafy, along with Jaime Ludwigson (No. 2, 100-meter hurdles; No. 4 triple jump) and No. 3 Bria Halama (triple jump). Behind those efforts, UWL improved its team score by more than 36 points to 199.18.

The purpose and methodology of the rankings is to create an index that showcases the teams that have the best potential of achieving the top spots in the national team race. Rankings points do not equate with NCAA Championships team points. A full description of the rankings can be found here.

Those performances were just enough to edge the Eagles ahead of Oshkosh, which improved five points to 191.30 but nonetheless lost its grasp on the No. 1 position. This marks the fourth consecutive week a different team has occupied the rankings’ top spot.

Women’s Top Five 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) UW-La Crosse 199.18 pts UW-Oshkosh 191.30 pts Wartburg 142.35 pts UW-Whitewater 103.50 pts Wheaton (Mass.) 97.64 pts View Complete Women’s Rankings

Two-time defending champion No. 3 Wartburg (142.35) remained stationary but saw its team score drop by nearly 20 points.

UW-Whitewater (103.50) improved one spot to No. 4, trading places with new No. 5 Wheaton (Mass.) (97.64) to round out the top five.

Just outside the top five was UW-Eau Claire at No. 6 after a 13-position gain from a week ago. That wasn’t even the biggest top-25 move of the week in the women’s rankings, as National Athlete of the Week Amelia Campbell’s No. 20 Carleton was up 24 spots.

The UW-La Crosse men made modest gains in the rankings with an eight-point improvement to 251.26 following its WIAC title.

Men’s Top Five 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) UW-La Crosse 251.26 pts UW-Eau Claire 146.48 pts UW-Oshkosh 143.24 pts North Central (Ill.) 122.07 pts Mount Union 119.23 pts View Complete Men’s Rankings

Continuing an ongoing battle for the No. 2 spot, UW-Eau Claire saw little improvement to its 146.48 team rankings score, but rose to No. 2 as UW-Oshkosh’s team score dropped by eight points to 143.24. That order is opposite of how the pair finished at WIACs behind La Crosse.

CCIW Champion North Central (Ill.) (122.07) rejoined the top five at  No. 4 between the combination of an eight-point improvement and falls by OAC Champion No. 5 Mount Union (119. 23) and CCIW rival No. 6 Augustana (Ill.) (99.20).

National Athlete of the Week Luke Campbell carried his Salisbury men to a CAC title and the week’s farthest move up the top-25 rankings with a 22-position increase to No. 23.