NCAA DIII Rankings Bounce Around After First Week of Postseason

NEW ORLEANS — Conference championships always have a way of shaking up the National Team Computer Rankings.

NCAA Division III National Team Rankings Top 5 – Men 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) North Central (Ill.) UW-La Crosse UW-Whitewater UW-Eau Claire UW-Platteville 147.28 pts 134.56 pts 118.90 pts 103.87 pts 99.53 pts View Complete Men’s National Team Computer Rankings   NCAA Division III National Team Rankings Top 5 – Women 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Washington (Mo.) UW-La Crosse Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Nebraska Wesleyan Illinois Wesleyan 146.68 pts 137.90 pts 131.65 pts 131.29 pts 107.15 pts View Complete Women’s National Team Computer Rankings

Such was the case Tuesday when the latest rankings for NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field were released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Of the 50 combined teams in the respective top-25s, only five remained in place from the previous week: three men’s and two women’s.

Let’s first start with the men’s rankings, where that top-10 was affected the most.

North Central (Ill.) is still ranked No. 1, but after that it’s all Wisconsin, all the time. From No. 2 (UW- La Crosse) to No. 6 (UW-Oshkosh), teams from the Badger State dominated that area. UW-Whitewater fell one spot to No. 3 and is followed by UW-Eau Claire (up four spots from No. 8) and UW-Platteville (No. 6 to No. 5).

Augustana (Ill.) soared seven spots in this week’s rankings to land at No. 8. This is the second time this season that the Vikings have been in the top-10 after being a fixture in it for most of the 2015 season.

Three men’s teams jumped 17 or more spots, led by SUNY Oneonta’s leap of 34. The Red Dragons had a strong showing at the SUNYAC Championships and were rewarded for their work. Also moving a healthy number of slots were Pomona-Pitzer (No. 38 to No. 19) and Aurora (No. 41 to No. 24).

Over in the women’s rankings, only one team fell out of the top-10 while the other nine switched spots — with the exception of No. 1 Washington (Mo.) and No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

UW-La Crosse matched the men’s ranking of No. 2, while Nebraska-Wesleyan took the Eagles’ old ranking of No. 4. Illinois Wesleyan climbed three spots to No. 5, displacing UW-Oshkosh, MIT and Baldwin Wallace.

St. Lawrence neared a program high as it jumped 16 spots to No. 13. Back in 2010, the Saints were ranked No. 7 in Week 4.

Like the men’s team, the women from Pomona-Pitzer had quite the rise. The Sagehens went from No. 42 to No. 22 and have Maya Weigel to thank for that. Weigel clocked the ninth fastest time over 5000 meters in DIII history and is ranked No. 1 in the division.

Many of these teams will have representatives at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships when they’re held May 26-28 in Waverly, Iowa.