2020 NCAA DIII Women’s Indoor Track & Field Rating Index – Week 2
NEW ORLEANS – Even though business might have picked up, the top teams in the NCAA Division III Women’s Indoor Track & Field National Rating Index continue to handle their own as there wasn’t much movement in the top-10 nationally.
If you remember how the top-5 went last week, that’s basically how it is this week: Williams leading the way at No. 1, Johns Hopkins and Washington (Mo.) flipped spots at No. 2 and No. 3, while Ithaca is No. 4 and UChicago remains at No. 5.
NCAA Division III — Women's Indoor Track & Field
This Week's National Top Five
1
Williams
Williams
2
Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins
3
Washington (Mo.)
Washington (Mo.)
4
Ithaca
Ithaca
5
Chicago
Chicago
All TFRI Reports
The Ephs actually bolstered their spot atop the nation thanks to the debut of their heptathletes. Emma Egan, Summer-Solstice Thomas and Izabelle Ith starred at the Williams Multi. Egan is now ranked No. 1 nationally in the event with 3599 points, while Thomas and Ith sit fifth and 10th, respectively. Throw in the fact that Egan is also ranked No. 1 in the high jump and that Megan Powell is ranked first nationally in the 400, the Ephs are in a pretty good spot.
The Bears saw two familiar faces crack the national top-5 this past weekend. Paige Lawler is now ranked No. 6 nationally in the 3000 at 9:58.62, while Ciara Watson-Haynes jumped up to No. 3 in the 60 Hurdles with her mark of 8.79.
The Bombers always seem to have an incredible distance standout and a pole vaulter at their disposal. In the past that was Taryn Cordani and Katherine Pitman: Now, it’s Parley Hannan and Meghan Matheny. Hannan improved her national lead in the 5000 to 16:44.57, while Matheny soared into the national lead in the pole vault with her clearance of 3.86m (12-8).
Further down in the top-10, UW-La Crosse jumped two spots from No. 7 to No.5. The Eagles own eight top-10 marks nationally, including the No. 1 spot in the 60H after Clair Shepardson went 8.74 at the Warhawk Classic Invitational & Multi this past weekend.
Messiah ascended to its best ranking since 2010 as it rose nine spots from No. 19 to No. 10. The Falcons are proud owners of five marks that reside in the top-5 nationally, including the No. 2 mark in the 800 from Esther Seeland (2:13.54) and the No. 3 spots in the 4×400 relay as well as the high jump and pentathlon Taylor Wiederrecht.
There were two new additions to the top-25 this week: No. 21 Wittenberg and No. 24 Bates. It was an incredible 72-spot jump for the Tigers as they own their best ranking in program history thanks to the efforts of Alexis Gray and Alexis Johnson, who took over the national lead in the 800 and the long jump, respectively.
Be sure to check back throughout the season as the National Rating Index will continue to shift ahead of the 2020 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships on March 13-14 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
