Lincoln (Mo.) Women and Adams State Men Overtake Top of DII Rankings

NEW ORLEANS – For the first time since the final stages of 2010 – a span of 22 weeks – the Grand Valley State women are not the top-ranked team in the Division II U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Team Computer Rankings released Tuesday, losing the top spot to the Lincoln (Mo.) Blue Tigers, while the Adams State men regain control of the men’s rankings.

National Rannking PDFs: Top 25 | Full Rankings By Team | Event-by-Event | TFRRS Top 10 NCAA Qual. Bests
Week-by-Week PDFs: By Rank | By Team | All-Time
Regional Ranking PDFs: Top 10 Teams | By Team | By Event
Rankings Central
All-Division Collegiate Bests: Full PDF | Best Marks by Football Players

The MIAA Champion Blue Tigers gained 14.4 net points for a team total of 177.47, while, despite winning the GLIAC title by nearly 150 points, the Lakers slid 4.62 net points to a team total of 173.14. Lincoln (Mo.)’s boost came largely behind five individual performances ranked among DII’s top-10. Sheri Kaye Campbell turned in the fourth-best high jump (5-9¼/176m) and the fifth-best triple jump (40-4¼/12.30m) in DII this season, while Yanique Ellington recorded DII’s ninth-fastest time at 200 meters (24.25 converted) and the tenth at 60 meters (7.56).

In a way, the Blue Tigers are reclaiming the top spot in the rankings from the Lakers, as Lincoln (Mo.) was the last team to be No. 1 at the end of the 2010 season before GVSU’s historic 22-week streak, claiming the spot wire-to-wire en route to an NCAA Championship. The Blue Tigers and Lakers are the only two teams to be ranked No. 1 since the USTFCCCA began DII rankings in 2010.

Also reclaiming the top spot are the Adams State men, who held the top spot as recently as week two of this season before dropping to No. 4 the following week. The Grizzlies have moved up one spot in the ranking each successive week, culminating in their reclamation of No. 1. Adams State (220.72) received a 17.3 net point boost from No. 2 DII long jumper Carlton Lavong (24-8¼/7.52) and Chaz Butler, fifth-ranked at 60 meters in 6.75 (converted for altitude from 6.73), to displace Saint Augustine’s from the top spot.

In the women’s top five No. 3 Academy of Art, which dropped 9.54 team points for a total of 150.64, holds steady, while RMAC Champion Adams State (145.37) moved up 23.51 net points and a spot to No. 4, displacing Grand Canyon (125.43) to No. 5.

Ashland came in at No. 2 in the men’s ranking at 202.35 points. Saint Augustine’s (176.38) fell from the top to No. 3 after a 27.13 net point loss, while GLIAC Champ Grand Valley State (119.78) and NSIC Champ Minnesota State (118.27) each move up one spot to No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.

The National Computer Team Rankings project how a team will finish in a National Championship Meet setting, rather than a triangular or dual. The rankings are compiled from meet data in the 2012-13 season. This week is the final week for regional rankings in DII

The final round of computer rankings, this time based on NCAA Championships qualifiers, will be released March 5. The 2013 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships will be held in Birmingham, Ala., March 7-9.

Biggest Jump (Men): 6 – American International, Missouri Southern
Biggest Jump (Women): 9 – Angelo State