2017 NCAA DIII Women’s Outdoor Team Rankings – Week 5

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

NEW ORLEANS – If it’s not clear with about four weeks to go until the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, just take one look at the NCAA Division III Women’s Outdoor Track & Field National Team Computer Rankings.

This is Washington (Mo.)’s world and we’re just living in it.

The Bears have been No. 1 since the preseason and as of Week 5, their position atop the NCAA DIII landscape has been cemented. WashU owns an 80.17-point lead over the rest of the field.

Outside of the Bears, there was a major shake-up in the top-5.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Williams swapped spots. The Athenas jumped to No. 2 this week thanks to the efforts of junior sprinter Tyra Abraham, as she recorded a pair of top-5 marks on the NCAA DIII Descending Order List in the 100 (5th, 11.84w) and 200 (5th, 24.36).

Ithaca surged six spots from Week 4 to Week 5 and comes in at No. 4. The usual suspects stood out for the Bombers at the Empire 8 Athletic Conference Championships this past weekend as Taryn Cordani and Katherine Pitman notched NCAA DIII-leading marks in the 10000 (34:27.37) and pole vault (4.15m/13-7¼), respectively, and Brandy Smith did what she does in the discus throw (2nd, 50.15m/164-6) and shot put (5th, 14.00m/45-11¼).

Nebraska Wesleyan added a few points to its total and took over the No. 5 spot thanks to a strong effort by its 4×400 relay team. The Prairie Wolves clocked an NCAA DIII-leading time of 3:45.73 this past weekend.

Ohio Northern went from No. 14 to No. 8 in the span of a week. We already knew the Polar Bears had a championship threat in Emily Richards (800, 1500), but Madison Reed added her name to that pedigree when she vaulted 3.97m (13-0¼) and moved up to No. 2 on the NCAA DIII Descending Order List behind the aforementioned Pitman.

Another big mover was UMass Boston as it went from No. 38 to No. 11 – and for good reason. The Beacons watched Wadeline Jonathas add two top-5 marks to her tally this past weekend – one in the 100 (4th) and another in the 200 (1st). It’s what Jonathas did in the 200 that was truly special as she notched the 5th best time in NCAA DIII history (23.79).

Two other athletes had major impacts on their teams’ ranking – Gwynedd-Mercy’s Chante Moore and Pomona-Pitzer’s Maya Weigel. Moore is one of the best sprinters in NCAA DIII and is ranked top-3 in the 100, 200 and 400 and the marks in the shorter sprints that she did this past weekend pushed her team up 18 spots to No. 19. Weigel notched a top-10 time in NCAA DIII history in the 1500 and pushed the Sagehens up 4 spots to No. 22 because of it.

All in all, we’re in for a treat at the 2017 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which will be held from May 25-27 in Geneva, Ohio. Be sure to check back in the next few weeks to see how the rankings take shape.