Big Movers Shake Up Top-25 Of NCAA DIII National Rankings

NEW ORLEANS — Each week it seems like there is at least one big mover and shaker in the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field National Team Computer Rankings.

NCAA Division III National Team Rankings Top 5 – Men 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) UW-La Crosse UW-Whitewater Occidental SUNY Cortland UW-Eau Claire 160.50 pts 105.58 pts 100.10 pts 91.54 pts 90.94 pts View Complete Men’s National Team Computer Rankings   NCAA Division III National Team Rankings Top 5 – Women 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) UW-La Crosse Washington (Mo.) Baldwin Wallace Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Illinois Wesleyan 177.17 pts 132.45 pts 109.43 pts 105.27 pts 104.96 pts View Complete Women’s National Team Computer Rankings

Well, the trend continued this week in the most recent rankings that were released Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Two men’s teams that were No. 20 and No. 21 last week jumped 12 spots and 18 spots, respectively.

We’ll start with the big gainer and that’s Occidental. The Tigers went from No. 21 to No. 3, nabbing their highest ranking in program history in the process. Occidental’s previous top ranking was No. 15 in Week 1 of 2012.

The Tigers can thank two athletes for putting them on the national radar — Jeh Johnson and Hugh Pegan. Johnson and Pegan ran wind-aided times in the 200 meters of 21.12 and 21.21, respecitvely, that vaulted them to the top of the national list. Both of those men also helped out on the 4×400 team that recorded the seventh fastest time in the nation (3:13.15).

Occidental was part of a major shake-up in the men’s top-5. While UW-La Crosse and UW-Whitewater are still No. 1 and 2, respectively, SUNY Cortland moved up from No. 6 to No. 4 and UW-Eau Claire fell from No. 3 to No. 5.

What about the other team that made a major move? That would be Winder.

The Pride, ranked 20th last week, surged to No. 8 this week. This is the best ranking in program history for Widener as well, topping its previous best of 14th in Week 1 and 2 last year.

Three athletes pushed the Pride into the top-10 — Thomas Zamorski, Evan Sing and Ernie Pitone. Zamorski notched the nation’s second best hammer throw of 59.14m (194-0). Sing, a freshman, tallied the nation’s fourth best javelin toss (65.40m/214-7) and Pitone came through with a strong run over 1500 meters (3:46.69).

SUNY Cortland, last week’s mover and shaker, continued its rise and settles in with a No. 4 ranking. The Red Dragons received a big performance from Jack Flood, a junior decathlete. Flood totaled 6618 points this past weekend and is now ranked fourth in the nation in that event.

Looking at the women’s rankings, Baldwin Wallace and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps each moved up one spot, while Illinois Wesleyan dropped two. The Yellow Jackets are now No. 3, followed by the Athenas at No. 4 and the Titans are now ranked fifth.

SUNY Oneonta went from outside of the top-25 last week to No. 14 this week, a 15-spot jump. The Red Dragons saw junior Mary Kate Bida clock a 35:42.08 in the 10000 meters, which stands as the fourth fastest time in the nation.

Speaking of distance events, Stevens’ Amy Regan reeled off the nation’s fastest time at 5000 meters (16:35.07) and sent the Ducks to No. 23.

Stevens was one of three teams overall to join the top-25 this week. Aforementioned SUNY Oneonta also joined the forray, while the Redlands men went from No. 29 to No. 21.

The 2016 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be held May 26-28 in Waverly, Iowa.