Lehman Women Join Top Five in NCAA DIII Indoor T&F National Rankings

NEW ORLEANS – The penultimate computer rankings of the 2015 NCAA Division III indoor track & field season featured a familiar set of schools at the top, some minor reshuffling in the middle, and new faces at the bottom. The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released the rankings on Tuesday.

UW-La Crosse’s men (for the second straight week) and MIT’s women (for the third straight week) both held on to their No. 1 rankings. La Crosse won the WIAC for the fourteenth straight year, while MIT was the top DIII team at the NEICAAA meet.

Behind the Eagle men, Mount Union was ranked No. 2 for the second week in a row. They were trailed by new No. 3 UW-Eau Claire, No. 4 North Central (Ill.), and No. 5 UW-Whitewater. Eau Claire moved up at the expense of the latter two. North Central has now occupied every spot in the top five this year.

One team joined the men’s top ten: No. 10 Southern Maine. They did so thanks to running the fastest 4×400 meter relay in DIII (converted to No. 2 for running it on a banked track) this year and having Jamie Ruginski increase his national lead in the triple jump.

In the women’s rankings, La Crosse moved up to No. 2 – pushing No. 3 Illinois Wesleyan and No. 4 UW-Oshkosh down one place each. Those schools were joined by Lehman in the top five. That’s an all-time high for the Lightning, mostly thanks to National Athlete of the Week Adriana Wright’s national records in the 60 meter hurdles and 200.

No. 8 Buffalo State moved up from No. 17 to join the top ten for the first time since 2012, while No. 10 Stevens rejoined the top ten after a one-week absence.

No. 18 UW-Stout, No. 19 Dubuque, No. 21 UW-Stevens Point, and No. 25 Monmouth were the four men’s teams to crack the rankings this week. Dubuque, up from No. 33, made the biggest jump out of any top twenty-five men’s squad.

NCAA Division III Computer Rankings Top 5 – Men 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) UW-La Crosse Mount Union UW-Eau Claire North Central (Ill.) UW-Whitewater View Complete Men’s Computer Rankings   NCAA Division III Computer Rankings Top 5 – Women 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) MIT UW-La Crosse Illinois Wesleyan UW-Oshkosh Lehman View Complete Women’s Computer Rankings

Two women’s teams made gigantic jumps into the top twenty-five, and two more joined a bit more demurely. No. 18 Wartburg climbed eight spots, No. 20 Southern Maine moved up from No. 52, No. 23 SUNY Plattsburgh moved up nine ranks, and No. 25 UT-Tyler jumped forty-nine places in the rankings.

Seven of the eight regional No. 1 men’s teams stayed the same. George Fox took over the top spot in the West.

It was a good week for the Bruins, as they were also one of three women’s teams to take over as No. 1 in their respective regions. Emory moved to No. 1 in the South/Southeast, and St. Thomas (Minn) grabbed the Central’s top spot.

The final DIII rankings of the 2015 indoor season will come out next Monday, March 9.

The NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships will be held March 13-14 in Winston-Salem, N.C.