Adams State Men, Grand Canyon Women On Top of DII Rankings

NEW ORLEANS – Division II has two new No. 1 teams, as the defending champion Adams State men and the Grand Canyon women move to the top of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II National Team Computer Rankings released Tuesday.

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Adams State heads a group of four men’s teams within 15 points of one another at the conclusion of the regular season after a two-spot improvement, while the Grand Canyon women continued a back-and-forth battle with Lincoln (Mo.) for the No. 1 ranking atop a similarly tight group of four teams within 35 points of each other.

The National Team Computer Rankings are a projection of how teams could fare at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. An explanation of the rankings system can be found here.

Adams State Men In Position to Defend NCAA Title

The Adams State men are back on top of the ranking since week six of last season en route to a DII outdoor title. After winning the RMAC title last week after the rankings were published, Adams State held almost completely steady in the rankings, gaining just 0.2 net points toward a team score of 221.12.

It was enough to leapfrog indoor champion No. 2 Saint Augustine’s — which suffered a 5.64 net drop to 217.16 — into the No. 1 spot, which was vacated by Ashland following a 21.24 net loss that resulted in a three-spot drop to No. 4 with a team score of 206.24.

Ashland also slipped past No. 3 Grand Canyon, which improved its team score by 23.92 net points to 213.06 to move up one spot. The Antelopes recorded three top-10 marks that boosted their rankings over the weekend, including No. 3 Kevin Lashley in the long jump (25-1¾w/7.66m, +2.1m/s) and No. 3 Ramon Cooper in the 400 hurdles (51.16).

Findlay remained steady at No. 5 with a team score of 129.15 with a 2.92 net gain.

Grand Canyon Women Pull Back Ahead of Lincoln (Mo.)

One can only hope the national title competition later this month will mirror the battle that has taken place in the rankings over the past six weeks. Grand Canyon is back on top for the third time in the past five weeks, trading shifts atop the rankings with Lincoln (Mo.) for the third time.

Each of the top five teams this week suffered hits to their team scores, but the Antelopes were affected the least, slipping just 1.67 net points to 231.83, while No. 2 Lincoln was affected the most, tumbling to 227.97 following a 13.54 net loss.

Defending outdoor champion Grand Valley State is inching its way toward the top, moving up to No. 3 despite a 2.68 net loss for a 200.50 team score. The Lakers were able to hold on as indoor champion Academy of Art slipped a spot to No. 2 with a 198.75 team score following a 9.14 point net loss.

RMAC champion Adams State rounded out the top five at 141.26 after losing 2.73 net points.

Biggest Jump (Men): 5 – No. 9 Western State
Biggest Jump (Women): 15 – No. 21 Missouri Southern