DII Indoor Women’s Champ Central Missouri Moves to No. 1 Outdoors

NEW ORLEANS – Mid-March saw the Central Missouri women claim their first NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field team title, and already on the third month’s final day the Jennies are already positioning themselves for an outdoor repeat.

UCM moved up to No. 1 in the week three edition of the National Team Computer Rankings released Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), while the Chico State men held on to their top spot by the slimmest of margins.

Unlike the NCAA Division I and III rankings (which include 2014 marks from returning athletes), Division II only includes marks from the current 2015 season in its rankings formula. In the early section of this outdoor season, the rankings function more as a display of who’s performed the best to date this year and not necessarily who will be contending for the NCAA titles Memorial Day weekend in Allendale, Michigan.

Only USTFCCCA member programs are eligible to be ranked.

Central Missouri took over the top women’s spot on a week in which each top-five spot was occupied by a new team. Azusa Pacific moved up two positions to No. 2, Saint Augustine’s moved up three to No. 3, Angelo State dropped two to No. 4 and Lewis improved two positions to No. 5.

For the men, Chico State was just able to hold off No. 2 Minnesota State, which made its outdoor debut this past weekend. No. 3 Texas A&M-Commerce held steady, checking in just ahead of the No. 4 GVSU men making their season debut. Angelo State moved up a spot to No. 5 to round out the top five.

Leading the charge for the Central Missouri women was thrower Heavin Warner. The junior is the top-ranked hammer thrower in Division II, the No. 3 discus thrower and the No. 5 shot putter. Heptathlete Madison Smith also played a big role, notching the top heptathlon and the top high jump.

Giving the Minnesota State men a big push were seven performances ranked among the top five nationally in their respective events. Emmanuel Matadi turned in the No. 2 run at 200 meters and the No. 3 sprint at 100, while Nathan Hancock scored the No. 2 decathlon.

At the regional level, Ashland took over atop the Midwest Region and the Nova Southeastern claimed the top spot in the South on the men’s side. Three new women’s teams ascended to the top of their regions: Central Missouri in the Central, Lewis in the Midwest, and Chico State in the West.

The NCAA Division II Championships will be contested May 21-23 at Grand Valley State in Allendale, Michigan.