North Central (Ill.) Men, Wartburg Women Hold Steady at No. 1 in DIII Rankings

NEW ORLEANS – The North Central (Ill.) men and Wartburg women held steady at No. 1 in the first regular-season edition of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III National Team Computer Rankings released Wednesday.

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Preseason computer rankings are compiled using performance data from both the current 2013 outdoor season and the 2012 season. Past-season data will be used in conjunction with current data through the early part of the season in calculating team scores. The scoring system is explained in more detail here.

North Central Men Make Gains at No. 1

North Central remains atop a men’s rankings that saw no position changes through the No. 14 spot from last week’s preseason edition. The Cardinals made the biggest gain in terms of team points, gaining 7.2 net points for a team total of 183.45, providing some separation from No. 2 UW-Oshkosh, which lost 6.95 net points to slide to 163.20.

USTFCCCA DIII Men’s National Athlete of the Week John Crain was the Cardinals’ biggest factor behind the increased team score, as the senior ran the 2013 season’s fastest 10,000 at 29:55.49, The stands as the No. 2 time in the event rankings, which also take into account the fastest 2012 times of returning student-athletes.

The Wisconsin teams were largely inactive this past weekend, which also contributed to North Central widening its lead atop the rankings. UW-Oshkosh remained No. 2 at 163.20 team points, UW-Whitewater is No. 3 with 150.03 team points, and indoor champ UW-La Crosse is right behind at No. 4 with 149.28.

Whitworth rounded out the top five for the second consecutive week at 106.88 team points.

Wartburg Women Remain No. 1

The top three from the preseason poll remained the same into the first regular-season edition of the rankings, with Wartburg No. 1 at 223.90 team points.

UW-Oshkosh was inactive last weekend with its home meet cancelled, and the indoor champion Titans stayed at No. 2 with 148.01 team points. Williams came in at No. 3 with 106.92 team points.

Illinois College was  the big mover in the DIII top five this week, moving four spots up to the No. 4 slot with a 22.33 net point gain for a team score of 97.48. The driving force behind the surge toward the top was sophomore Brittney Burgess’ No. 2 ranked javelin mark of 146-11 (44.80m) and Megan Stringer’s 4,452 score in the heptathlon – No. 5 in 2013 and No. 12 in the event rankings that include the top 2012 marks of returners – in addition to the performances of USTFCCCA Indoor National Field Athlete of the Year Melissa Norville.

Illinois Wesleyan completed the top five at 96.78 team points.

Biggest Jump (Men): 9 – Greenville
Biggest Jump (Women): 27 – Buffalo State