Winds Of Change Impact NCAA DIII Women’s ITF Rankings

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

NEW ORLEANS — The winds of change swept through the NCAA Division III Women’s Indoor Track & Field National Team Computer Rankings on Tuesday.

There was a changing of the guard on top and a new team in the top-5 when the most recent rankings were released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Washington (Mo.) ousted MIT as the No. 1 team in the nation. The Bears had been ranked No. 2 since Week 1 when they fell from the No. 1 spot, but return to the top spot for the second time in program history.

After the UAA Indoor Championships, Washington (Mo.) has five athletes ranked in the top-5 of seven events and two top-billed relay teams. Those athletes are Daisy Ogede (60, 3rd; 200, 3rd; 60 hurdles, 3rd), Rebecca Ridderhoff (400, 3rd), Annalise Wagner (800, 4th), Ashley Knudson (800, 5th) and Alison Lindsay (3000, 2nd). The Bears have the No. 1 4×400 team and the best DMR in the nation.

The formerly top-ranked Engineers dropped one spot to No. 2 and are followed by Williams and Ithaca in their customary spots at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. Bates moved up four spots from No. 9 to No. 5 to join the top-5.

The Bobcats were buoyed by Allison Hill and their DMR team. Hill is now the top-ranked woman in the 60 hurdles (8.67) and the DMR squad moved up to 3rd in the nation after this past weekend (11:48.59).

Two teams climbed 10 or more spots to join the top-15 – UW-Stevens Point (No. 21 to No. 10) and St. Norbert (No. 22 to No. 12). The Pointers matched their best ranking in program history (10th in Week 4 of 2010), while the Green Knights were ranked this high back in Week 5 of last year.

Big jumps were the buzz word in the rankings as four others moved up more than 10 spots in the bottom of the top-25.

Colby went from No. 31 to a program record No. 19.

UMass Boston went from No. 33 to a program record No. 20 after Wadeline Jonathas notched the nation’s best time over 400 meters (55.18).

Dubuque went from No. 38 to a program record No. 21 and is led by junior thrower Tanasha Atwater (2nd, shot put; 3rd, weight throw).

Chicago went from No. 40 to No. 23.

Many of these aforementioned athletes and teams will be competing at the 2017 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships in Naperville, Illinois from March 10-11 on the campus of North Central (Ill.).