2017 NCAA DII Women’s Outdoor Team Rankings – Week 1

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

NEW ORLEANS — A big start to the season at the Cactus Cup and Angelo State Spring Break Multi Meet has Angelo State’s women’s squad in a position it hasn’t seen during the 1st week of the NCAA Division II outdoor season in seven years. And if that is any precursor for what’s to come, 1st-year head coach Tom Dibbern is in for a treat.

The Rams are ranked 1st in the Week 1 Computer Rankings for NCAA Division II women’s teams, announced the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday.

The National Team Computer Rankings are compiled by a mathematical formula based on the NCAA Division II Descending Order Lists. Unlike NCAA Division I and NCAA Division III there are no NCAA Division II Preseason rankings, as only marks from the current season are used in the current Computer Rankings. The purpose and methodology of the rankings is to create an index that showcases the teams that have the best potential of achieving the top spots in the race for a national title. Ranking points don’t equate with points that will be scored at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field
Championships.

Angelo State has been in the top spot during the 2nd week of both the 2014 and 2016 seasons, so it’s not as if they haven’t tasted success as of late. However, Tuesday’s ranking marks the 1st top-ranking for the Rams since during week 1 since 2010.

It just so happens that the Rams stayed in the top spot all season in 2010, capturing the program’s lone NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championship.

USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Female National Athlete of the Week Kami Norton led the way for Angelo State this past weekend, posting the top mark in NCAA Division II in the heptathlon (5409) while notching Provisional Marks in the 100 hurdles, high jump and long jump. Thrower Daisy Osakue also chipped in for the Rams, recording an Automatic Qualifying Mark in the discus (54.74m/179-7) in addition to hitting a Provisional Mark in the shot put (14.16m/46-5½).

More Info NCAA Division II Rankings Central
NATIONAL PDFs Top 25 | By Team | By Event Top TFRRS Qualifiers # of Top-10 Athletes by Team Rankings History This Season By Rank | All-Time	REGIONAL PDFs Top 10 | By Team | By Event

The Rams hold a healthy lead over 2nd-place Humboldt State, 222.65 points to 153.05. The Jacks had a strong showing at the Sacramento State Hornet Invitational and Stanislaus Kim Duyat Invitational, as each meet produced a slew of Provisional Marks for the program to help the program achieve its highest ranking in history. Alyssabeth DeJerez recorded the to 400 hurdles time in NCAA Division II with a time of 58.84, good for an Automatic Qualifying Mark. She also ran a Provisional Mark time of 54.96 in the 400 meters. Jumper Marissa McCay notched three Provisional Marks in the heptathlon (4868), triple jump (11.80m/38-8¾) and high jump (1.76m/5-9¼).

Chico State ranks 3rd, thanks in large part to Brooke Whitburn’s Automatic Qualifying mark in the heptathlon (5244), as well as her NCAA Division II leading long jump mark of 6.01m (19-8¾).

Nova Southeastern and Minnesota State round out the top-5. A pair of 4×100 relay squads has competed this season for Nova Southeastern, posting the 3rd-fastest time in NCAA Division II at the Miami Hurricane Invitational and the 4th-fastest time at the Nova Sharks Invitational. Altoniece Williams ran a 13.78 in the 100 hurdles for Minnesota State, leading all of NCAA Division II.

Cal Baptist (6th), UC San Diego (7th), Concordia (Ore.) (8th), Academy of Art (9th) and Johnson C. Smith (10th) make up the bottom half of the top-10. The rankings for Cal Baptist and Concordia (Ore.) are the highest for each program in the 1st week of an outdoor campaign.

Last season’s NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Champion, Pittsburg State, sits at 19th to start the year, the highest week 1 ranking for the Gorillas since coming in at 15th in 2012. Tying for 4th-place at the outdoor championships a season ago, Grand Valley State opens the year at 21st.

The 2017 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be held at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, from May 25-27. Check back at www.USTFCCCA.org each week throughout the season for updated rankings.