Pittsburg State Claims Top Spot In NCAA DII Women’s ITF Rankings

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NEW ORLEANS — For the first time since the preseason NCAA Division II Women’s Team Rankings poll, we have a new No. 1.

Pittsburg State overtook Grand Valley State  in the NCAA Division II Women’s Team Rankings, released on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). But the Gorillas and Lakers weren’t the only two teams to flip flop in the rankings.

Every single spot in the top-25 changed from week five to week six in the polls, as conference championships across the country caused major upheaval throughout Division II. Twelve teams rose or fell between one and three spots, while four teams jumped by 18 or more spots.

Pittsburg State absolutely destroyed the competition at the MIAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, thanks in large part to the efforts of Emilyn Dearman (60 hurdles), Courtney Nelson (60 hurdles), Emilee Iverson (high jump), Alyssa McCarthick (pole vault) and Jasmine Smith (shot put). The five each posted top-6 marks in Division II on the season in their respective events over the weekend, with Dearman claiming the top spot in the 60 hurdles at 8.35.

GVSU didn’t fall for a lack of effort this past weekend. The Lakers saw four athletes post top-10 times in Division II this past weekend at the GLIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, including automatic qualifying marks from its distance medley relay team and Rachael Walters in the 800 meters.

Finishing 2nd at the MIAA Indoor Track & Field Championships was Southwest Baptist, who vaulted all the way to 6th for its highest rank of the season. Natalie O’Keefe recorded notched the best high jump mark in Division II on the year at 1.80m (5-10 ¾), while Mary Bergman (5th in 200 meters and 6th in 400 meters) and Staci Wickersham (6th in pole vault) each made progress in the Division II Descending Order Lists.

More Info NCAA Division II Rankings Central
NATIONAL PDFs Top 25 | By Team | By Event Top TFRRS Qualifiers # of Top-10 Athletes by Team Rankings History This Season By Rank | All-Time	REGIONAL PDFs Top 10 | By Team | By Event #EventSquad Rankings Top-16 Summary Full Reports: By Team | By Event

Chadron State also moved up five spots to 7th after Stachia Reuwsaat’s Division II leading long jump mark of 6.29m (20-7 ¾) at the RMAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. In addition to the long jump, Reuwsaat ran the 3rd-fastest time in the 60 meters in Division II this year at the meet, and the Eagles also saw top-10 marks from Mel Herl in the shot put and Tessa Gorsuch in the 60 hurdles.

Adams State fell to 3rd for the second time in three weeks after climbing to 2nd a week ago.  West Texas A&M dropped to 5th after three-straight weeks at 4th. Cedarville, who made program history last week in 5th place, slipped to 8th, while Western State, Minnesota State and Minnesota Duluth dropped to 9th, 10th and 11th, respectively.

All but two teams from last week’s rankings saw themselves amongst the elite in the NCAA Division II Women’s Team Rankings, released on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), as movement across the board was scarce with just two weekends remaining before the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Texas A&M-Kingsville climbed to 12th, while Central Missouri and Merrimack dropped from 10th and 11th, to 13th and 14th, respectively.

Lincoln (Mo.) made an 81-spot climb to 20th after three-straight weeks in the triple digits. Victor Thomas’ squad benefitted from the 4th-best triple jump performance in Division II this year at the MIAA Indoor Track & Field Championships from Diana Cauldwell (12.46m/40-10 ½), as well as the 6th-fastest 400 meter time by Kissi-Ann Brown (55.02).

Southern Connecticut moved into the top-25 after jumping 19 spots to 21st, marking the first time seeing the top-25 since the preseason poll. Shatajah Wattely posted a time of 54.18 in the 400 meters, hitting an automatic qualifier, while the 4 x 400 relay ran an automatic-qualifying 3:43.65, giving the Owls its much-needed boost to reenter the top-25.

Joining Southern Connecticut in reentry is New Mexico Highlands, who also had not seen the top-25 since the preseason rankings. After coming in at a season-low 50th last week, the Cowgirls jumped 25 spots to claim the final ranking this week. Tashay Hunter recorded the 2nd-best triple jump in Division II at 12.83m (42-1 ¼) while also posting the 8th-best long jump at 5.98m (19-7 ½) at the RMAC Indoor Track & Field Championships.

In just a little over a week, these teams will be competing at the 2017 NCAA Division II Track & Field Championships in Birmingham, Alabama, on March 10-11. Be sure to check in at www.USTFCCCA.org next week to see what the pre-championship rankings have in store.

Women’s #EventSquad Leaders (Best Foursome in the Country By Event)