May 23, 2011
NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announces the association’s week eight, pre-NCAA Championships National Team Computer Rankings for the 2011 outdoor track & field season in NCAA Division II. Once again, Abilene Christian's men and Grand Valley State's women head the team rankings heading into the NCAA Division II Championships. Rankings for this week were compiled using data from only those who declared and were accepted into the championships' field.
The NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships will take place Thursday thru Saturday, May 26-28, in Turlock, Calif., home to Cal State Stanislaus. NCAA.com will air live coverage.
MEN
No. 1 Abilene Christian heads into the NCAA Championships with a balanced squad of 16 entries, consisting of five in the sprint/hurdle group, four in the jumps, four in the throws, two in distance events, and one relay. Among ACU’s top entries is senior Desmond Jackson who holds the No. 1 seed in both the 100 and 200 meters. Senior Amos Sang holds the No. 1 seed in the 10k and second seed in the 5000. Senior Nick Jones is the top-ranked discus thrower and is ranked third in the shot put. And, the Wildcats have the top time of the Division II season in the 4x100 (39.80). ACU, national outdoor runner-up in 2010, was the surprise champs of the NCAA Indoor Championships and have won the national outdoor championships in seven of the last nine years, but the last two have been won by No. 3 Saint Augustine’s.
At No. 2 is Lincoln (Mo.) who finished fifth at the national outdoor meet a year ago. Lincoln has a total of 13 entries at the national meet and is tied with Saint Augustine’s in a having a meet-best 11 sprint/hurdle entries. The Blue Tigers also have both relays at their disposal. Kimour Bruce and Mandela Clifford have top-three seeds in the 100 meters while Roxroy Cato and Steve Banton hold the same status in the 400 hurdles. A multi-time national indoor championship team, Lincoln is in search of their first outdoor national crown.
Two-time defending champs No. 3 Saint Augustine’s will bring the same brand of the team that has carried the Falcons in past NCAA Championships. With a meet-high 17 total entries, the Falcons will be contenders as they are armed with 11 sprint/hurdle entries, both relays, and four entries in the jumps. Junior Jason Boyd is the top seed in the 110 hurdles and the Falcons have the top-ranked 4x400 squad (3:07.70).
Distance heavy, fourth-ranked Adams State will hope to pile up points with a meet-high 10 entries in middle-distance and distance events. The three-time defending NCAA cross country team champs placed fourth in last year’s outdoor meet and the squad is leading the USTFCCCA’s Program of the Year standings, positioned to win the award for the third-straight academic year.
WOMEN
Top-ranked Grand Valley State will look to repeat their accomplishment from the 2011 indoor season – win an NCAA team title for the first time. GVSU, winners of the 2010 NCAA cross country and 2011 NCAA indoor track & field national crowns, hopes to sweep the board with an outdoor crown. The Lakers have been a strong top-ranked team since the preseason, and, with a meet-high 25 entries, GVSU will have a good chance of backing up the claims. GVSU has a meet-high 14 entries in the middle- and long-distance events to go with a tied-meet-high seven entries in throwing events. The Lakers have top-ranked entries in the 1500 meters (Katherine McCarthy) and hammer throw (Liz Murphy). GVSU has five entries in the steeplechase, four in the 1500 meters, three in 5000 meters, and three in the pole vault and hammer throw – among others.
No. 2 Lincoln (Mo.), national team champs of six of the last eight NCAA Outdoor Championships, is sticking to their bread-and-butter with a meet-high 13 entries in the sprint and hurdle events. With 17 total entries, including two in the jumps, Lincoln has the second-most among all squads. Lincoln will have several stars to watch, including junior Judith Riley who leads the 100-meter seeds and is the seventh seed in the 200. Senior Nyoka Cole is the No. 1 seed in the 200 and sixth in the 100. Lincoln holds the top two seeds in the 400 hurdles with Keniesha Jones and sophomore Michelle Cumberbatch.
Junior Indira Spence, entered in three events as the No. 2 seed in each, gives a lift to the chances of No. 3 Adams State. Spence, who will appear in the 100, 200, 100 hurdles, and 4x100, gives the Grizzlies a chance to improve upon their eighth-place finish a year ago. Adams State, who finished third nationally in the fall in cross country and third at the national indoor meet, stands second in the Program of the Year standings. Adams State also has the top-seed in the steeple with senior Cassie Mitchell who has clocked 10:24.29 this season.
For No. 4 Central Missouri, junior Lindsay Lettow will be all over the stadium this weekend. Entered in five events, which includes the heptathlon, Lettow will participate in no-less than 11 disciplines over the three days. As the No. 1 seed in the heptathlon, Lettow has amassed 5,610 points as the divisional leader and will also be entered in the open 100 hurdles, 400 hurdles, high jump, and long jump. In total, the Jennies will have four in the heptathlon and thrower Kayla Muyskens will compete in the shot put, discus, and hammer. Central Missouri’s all-time best finish at the NCAA outdoor championships came in 1986 and 2005 at No. 11.
USTFCCCA
NCAA Division II
Men's Outdoor Track & Field National Team Computer Rankings
2011 Week #8 - May 23, Pre-NCAA
next ranking: FINAL, NCAA Championship results
Rank
School
Points
Last Week
1
Abilene Christian
242.30
1
2
Lincoln (Mo.)
180.67
2
3
Saint Augustine's
169.72
3
4
Adams State
155.42
5
5
Johnson C. Smith
145.80
6
6
Western State
142.17
4
7
Central Missouri
120.66
7
8
Ashland
115.66
8
9
Angelo State
110.08
9
10
Emporia State
82.72
10
11
Cal State LA
81.49
15
12
Southern Connecticut
74.03
14
13
Lake Erie
73.86
17
14
Texas A&M-Kingsville
73.46
11
15
Neb.-Kearney
72.62
12
16
Grand Valley State
72.34
13
17
Alaska Anchorage
67.09
16
18
UMass Lowell
62.27
18
19
Pittsburg State
60.70
23
20
Findlay
59.80
19
21
MSU Moorhead
54.20
21
22
Western Washington
51.95
22
23
Shippensburg
51.24
20
24
American International
46.99
27
25
Fort Hays State
46.46
25
dropped out: No. 24 Indianapolis
Men's Conference Index Top 10
Rank
Conference
Points
Top 25 Teams
1
MIAA
540.57
5
2
RMAC
461.28
3
3
Lone Star
457.15
3
4
GLIAC
404.01
4
5
CIAA
353.26
2
6
PSAC
238.74
1
7
Northeast-10
205.83
3
8
CCAA
167.22
1
9
NSIC
161.21
1
10
GNAC
137.04
2
USTFCCCA
NCAA Division II
Women's Outdoor Track & Field National Team Computer Rankings
2011 Week #8 - May 23, Pre-NCAA
next ranking: FINAL, NCAA Championship results
Rank
School
Points
Last Week
1
Grand Valley State
325.05
1
2
Lincoln (Mo.)
229.39
2
3
Adams State
190.77
3
4
Central Missouri
135.75
4
5
UC San Diego
123.19
6
6
Johnson C. Smith
119.41
5
7
Ashland
104.93
7
8
Seattle Pacific
87.03
8
9
Western State
83.85
9
10
Pittsburg State
77.09
10
11
Western Washington
75.76
11
12
New Mexico Highlands
70.95
12
13
Augustana (S.D.)
65.57
13
14
Shippensburg
63.68
14
15
Cal State Dominguez Hills
63.24
16
16
Saint Augustine's
60.79
17
17
Abilene Christian
59.52
19
18
Winona State
58.38
15
19
Slippery Rock
57.55
18
20
Fort Valley State
54.15
20
21
Nova Southeastern
51.99
21
22
Virginia State
49.60
23
23
Chico State
49.21
22
24
Cal State LA
47.34
24
25
Findlay
46.77
25
dropped out: none
Women's Conference Index Top 10
Rank
Conference
Points
Top 25 Teams
1
MIAA
595.23
3
2
GLIAC
546.28
3
3
RMAC
431.65
3
4
CCAA
321.43
4
5
GNAC
242.18
2
6
CIAA
237.08
3
7
NSIC
233.33
2
8
PSAC
214.29
2
9
Lone Star
191.94
1
10
SIAC
110.61
1
---
Tom Lewis
U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association
Communications Manager
1100 Poydras St., Suite 1750
New Orleans, LA 70163
(O) 504-599-8904 (F) 504-599-8909
Email: tom@ustfccca.org
Follow Us: twitter.com/USTFCCCA
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