Quack About It: Ducks Soar To No. 1 Spot In NCAA DI Women’s Rankings

NEW ORLEANS — If Oregon’s performance at the Mt. SAC Relays this past weekend was a sign of things to come for the rest of the season, the Ducks might be holding some hardware come June 11, the final day of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

NCAA Division I National Team Rankings Top 5 – Women 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Oregon Arkansas Southern Cal LSU Texas A&M 319.88 pts 286.86 pts 246.25 pts 243.82 pts 232.44 pts View Complete Women’s National Team Computer Rankings

Oregon made the annual California-based event its coming out party. The Ducks, led by their sprinters, turned in some historical marks and because of that, the computers that calculate the National Team Computer Rankings each week took notice.

For the first time since Week 9 of 2015, Oregon is ranked No. 1 in the National Team Computer Rankings. The Ducks overtook Arkansas, the team that had been No. 1 since Week 1.

Oregon’s rise parallels the emergence of Hannah Cunliffe, one of the stars of this past weekend.

Cunliffe, a sophomore transfer from Oklahoma, competed in three events at the Mt. SAC Relays — the 100, 200 and 4×100 relay. Her time in the 100 (10.99) currently leads the nation, is ranked third on the USTFCCCA Individual Rankings and is the eighth fastest time in collegiate history. Cunliffe returned to run a career-best 22.71 in the 200 (t-4th) and ran the third leg of the Ducks’ 4×100 squad that became the third fastest team in collegiate history (42.68) behind Texas A&M and LSU.

Oregon sophomore Deajah Stevens had herself a weekend too, just maybe not on the same scale as Cunliffe. Stevens jumped up to No. 5 on the USTFCCCA Individual Rankings at 200 meters (22.61) and took the baton second in the 4×100.

With the Ducks soaring three spots from No. 4 to No. 1, it dropped the Razorbacks down a peg and sent LSU, the team that had been ranked No. 2 for a while, down to No. 4. Southern California held steady at No. 3, while the same could be said for fifth-ranked Texas A&M (fourth week in a row in that position).

Another team that moved up three spots was Tennessee. The Volunteers climbed from No. 19 to No. 16 and nabbed its best ranking since Week 8 in 2012 (9th). Tennessee’s jump was made possible by senior sprinter Felicia Brow, the breakout star of the indoor season. Brown continued her big year by reeling off the nation’s fastest time at 200 meters (22.55).

Oklahoma State continued its push up the rankings as it came in at No. 17 behind Kaela Edwards‘ strong performance in California. Edwards ran well at 1500 meters, but even better at 800 meters and is now ranked No. 4 on the USTFCCCA Individual Rankings in the event (2:01.97). The Cowgirls went from 36th in the preseason to 21st in Week 1, 19th in Week 2 and now 17th in Week 3.

This is the final week that the USTFCCCA Individual Rankings are used. Starting next week, only marks from this current season will be culled to calculate the National Team Computer Rankings.