Big Changes In NCAA DIII Men’s ITF Rankings In Week 6

NOTE: Only USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for rankings. Please check your membership status HERE.

NEW ORLEANS — The aftershocks of Conference Championship Weekend in NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field reverberated through the most recent men’s rankings that were released Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

North Central (Ill.) is no longer the top-ranked team in the nation — nor is it No. 2.

Instead, those top-2 spots belong to UW-La Crosse and UW-Whitewater. Following their efforts at the WIAC Championships, the Eagles and Warhawks rose to No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. This is the fifth time this season that UW-La Crosse has been ranked No. 1, while UW-Whitewater ties its best ranking in program history.

The aforementioned Cardinals fell to No. 3 and are followed by No. 4 MIT and new-No. 5 SUNY Cortland to round out the top-5.

Three individuals and two relay teams contributed to the Eagles’ rise in the rankings. Ross Denman is the 2nd fastest man at 400 meters in NCAA DIII, while Joe Hinz and Sam Hinz are 5th and 7th over 800 meters, respectively. UW-La Crosse’s 4×400 team is now ranked No. 2 in the nation, while its DMR bunch is ranked 5th.

The Warhawks can thank junior Parker Witt for their ranking. Witt became NCAA DIII’s top man at 200 meters (21.76) and is ranked 2nd in the nation at 60 meters (6.75).

Combined event athletes and field event athletes continue to pace the Red Dragons. SUNY Cortland recently saw Dawan Jones (triple jump), Christopher White (triple jump) and Devlen Williams (long jump) record top-10 marks in their respective events to go along with Jack Flood and Connor Christopherson in the heptathlon.

UW-Oshkosh jumped from No. 9 to No. 6 after Justin Skinns captured the WIAC title in the 800 and the No. 1 time nationally. Skinns went 1:52.08 this past weekend.

Defending champion UW-Eau Claire vaulted eight spots from No. 18 to No. 10.

Augustana (Ill.) climbed from No. 23 to No. 16. The Vikings have two top-10 ranked athletes after this weekend since Isaac Smith moved up to 4th in the 400 (48.64). Smith joins senior thrower Marckus Simmons in that regard.

RPI watched Benjamin Fazio and Grant O’Connor notch top-10 marks in the mile and 5000, respectively, which sent the team from No. 26 to No. 21.

The biggest jump of the week belonged to Washington (Mo.), which went from No. 38 to No. 25. The Bears were paced by the nation’s 2nd fastest man over 800 meters (Deko Ricketts, 1:52.09).

We’ll see many of these athletes and teams in Naperville, Illinois for the 2017 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships from March 10-11.