Movement Galore In NCAA DII Women’s ITF Rankings

NOTE: Only USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for rankings. Please check your membership status HERE.

NEW ORLEANS — As the weeks progress in the 2017 NCAA Division II Women’s Indoor Track & Field season, one thing is clear: Grand Valley State and Pittsburg State are the clear-cut favorites to win the team title come March but everything else is up for grabs.

NCAA Division II National Team Rankings Top 5 – Women 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Grand Valley State Pittsburg State Minnesota State Chadron State Adams State View Complete Women’s National Coaches’ Poll

For the second consecutive week, the Lakers and Gorillas are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the National Team Computer Rankings presented by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The newest rankings were released Tuesday.

GVSU has a grand total of 161.57 points compared to Pittsburg State’s 126.83. The Lakers lost 18.52 points from last week, while the Gorillas gained 14.11.

As a refresher, points in the USTFCCCA National Team Computer Rankings are based on the NCAA Division II Descending Order Lists. The higher an athlete is ranked on the list, the more points he or she provides his or her team. From there, a team’s points are totaled and more points mean a better billing in the top-25.

Just like Pittsburg State, Minnesota State added points to its total from Week 1. The Mavericks cracked the 100-point barrier following a jump of 17.12 points and moved from No. 6 to No. 3. Minnesota State’s surge was aided by Afure Adah (4th in the 200) and Brianna Ziolkowski (4th in the high jump).

Chadron State and Adams State rounded out the top-5 in Week 2 of the rankings.

Azusa Pacific and Western State both jumped into the top-10 for the first time this season. The Panthers surged from No. 12 to No. 8 (a program best) while the Mountaineers leaped 14 spots from No. 24 to No. 10, its best mark since 2013.

Western State truly moved up the rankings because of Alicja Konieczek’s efforts. After this weekend, Konieczek is now the top-ranked woman at 800 and 3000 meters.

Six other teams joined the Mountaineers in vaulting 10 or more spots.

Ursuline went from No. 50 to a program–record 16th, a 34-spot jump.

Hillsdale continues to climb as it went from No. 35 to No. 19. That’s still a far cry from where it was during the preseason (No. 3).

Merrimack, led by National Athlete of the Week Carly Muscaro, settled in at No. 20.

Alaska Anchorage soared 57 spots from No. 78 to No. 21.

Walsh went from No. 40 to No. 22 and New Mexico Highlands is No. 24 after being No. 39 in Week 1.

The 2017 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships will be held March 10-11 in Birmingham, Alabama at the Birmingham CrossPlex.