UW-La Crosse Men & Wartburg Women Top Preseason Division III Indoor National Rankings

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UW-La Crosse Men & Wartburg Women Top Preseason Division III Indoor National Rankings
January 15, 2014

NEW ORLEANS – Defending men’s NCAA Division III indoor champion UW-La Crosse and the women of Wartburg have emerged as the early-season favorites to claim the 2014 indoor crown per the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III Preseason National Team Computer Rankings released Wednesday.

After sweeping both the indoor and outdoor Division III national titles in 2013, head coach Josh Buchholtz’ UW-La Crosse men will open their quest for a third overall title in a row as the top team in the land.

NCAA DIVISION III NATIONAL TEAM COMPUTER RANKINGS TOP 5: MEN
1) 2) 3) 4) 5)
UW-La Crosse
212.23pts
’13: 1st Mount Union
171.53pts
’13: 13th UW-Eau Claire
131.60pts
’13: 3rd UW-Whitewater
114.68pts
’13: 4th UW-Oshkosh
107.34pts
’13: 2nd
View Complete Men’s National Team Computer Rankings
In winning their 2013 title, the Eagles snapped a streak of three consecutive titles for North Central (Ill.), which had coincidentally snapped UW-La Crosse’s own streak of eight titles in nine years from 2001 through 2009.

The Wartburg women are preseason favorites in the eyes of the computer for the third consecutive season. The Knights, coached by Marcus Newsom, were unable to defend their 2012 indoor national title in 2013, but did manage to claim the outdoor crown for the second straight season.

NCAA DIVISION III NATIONAL TEAM COMPUTER RANKINGS TOP 5: WOMEN
1) 2) 3) 4) 5)
Wartburg
182.60pts
’13: 4th MIT
145.69pts
’13: 13th UW-La Crosse
108.75pts
’13: 3rd UW-Oshkosh
100.52pts
’13: 1st Williams
99.16pts
’13: 7th
View Complete Women’s National Team Computer Rankings
A title for the Knights would give them three of the past six with national crowns in 2009, 2010 and 2012.

Coming in at No. 2 in both the men’s and women’s rankings were teams that finished 13th at the 2013 NCAA Indoor Championships in the Mount Union men and MIT women.

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Rankings History
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The remainder of the men’s top five joined UW-La Crosse in representing the state of Wisconsin, as the 30th state to enter the Union boasted No. 3 UW-Eau Claire, No. 4 UW-Whitewater and No. 5 UW-Oshkosh.

UW-La Crosse’s women came in at No. 3, followed by defending national champion and in-state rival No. 4 UW-La Crosse and No. 5 Williams.

The national team rankings will be complied by mathematical formulae based on national descending order lists and data taken from previous seasons. For the preseason ranking and early-season rankings, data will be taken from previous seasons as well as the current season.

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 national team race. Rankings points do not equate with NCAA Championships team points. A full description of the rankings can be found here.

The USTFCCCA National Team Computer Rankings should not be referred to as a "poll” as no voting occurs during the process.

A significant wild card in these projections are the addition of the 200 meters and 3000 meters as events at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships for the first time. Data from the 2013 used for preseason marks do not include marks made in those two events, but marks from the current 2014 season in those events have been included.

Men’s Preseason Rankings
MEN’S TEAMS WITH MULTIPLE RETURNING INDIVIDUAL SCORERS FROM 2013 NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
6 UW-La Crosse
5 UW-Eau Claire
3 UW-Whitewater
3 Mount Union
2 UW-Oshkosh
2 UW-Stout
2 UW-Platteville
2 Central (Iowa)
2 Monmouth (Ill.)
2 North Central (Ill.)

A nation-best six returning individual scorers from its 2013 NCAA Indoor Championships team boosted No. 1 UW-La Crosse to preseason-favorite status with 212.23 rankings points, more than 40 points ahead of No. 2 Mount Union.

The Eagles don’t return any individual national champions, but they do feature three of the nation’s top four returning pole vaulters in No. 1 Bryan Klister, No. 2 Rob Rohe and No. 4 Jeffery Hill, along with the top national returner at 800 meters in Sean Royer.

Grant Havard and John Cooper are ranked second and fourth in the weight throw, David Stilin is third at 5000 meters, and Alex Koenen is fifth over 60 meters.

In the four seasons since the current iteration of the computer rankings were instituted in 2010, the top-ranked team at the beginning of the season has won the title twice. North Central claimed the title in 2011 and 2012 as top ranked teams in the first poll.

The other two years went to the No. 2 team in the first ranking of the season: UW-La Crosse in 2013 and North Central in 2010.

Looking to continue the latter trend, No. 2 Mount Union checked in with 171.53 rankings points behind three returning scorers from its 2013 13th-place team. Sam Ludgood is the nation’s top returner in the triple jump and is fifth in the long jump, while Sean Donnelly sits atop the weight throw rankings with his mark from the 2014 season and is No. 4 on the preseason shot put list.

ACTIVE MEN’S INDOOR NCAA CHAMPS
Nathan Davis, Heidelberg
High Jump (2013)
Thurgood Dennis
60 Meters (2013)
Jonas Elusme, Wartburg
Long Jump (2012)
Terrence Gibson, Worcester State
60-Meter Hurdles (2013)
Eric Larson, Central (Iowa)
Heptathlon (2013)
Chris Stadler, Haverford
5000 Meters (2012)
Dan Sullivan, UW-Stevens Point
Mile (2013)
James Wilson, Monmouth (Ill.)
Long Jump (2013)

The Raiders also have to top-10 heptathletes in No. 4 Tyler Mettille and No. 9 Alex Kovalik. Additionally, Mount Union benefitted from 2014 marks in the new 200 meters event, which was not included in the 2013 preseason data, with two of the nation’s three best times in 2014

No. 3 UW-Eau Claire returns five individual scorers from the 2013 season and registered a rankings score of 131.60. Defending 60 meters champion Thurgood Dennis leads the Blugolds returners, along with top-ranked Roger Steen in the shot put and second-ranked Cody Prince at 400 meters.

With 114.68 rankings points and three returning individual scorers from 2013, UW-Whitewater will begin the 2014 season at No. 4. The Warhawks boast the nation’s top two returning long jumpers in Cory Zaeske and Justin Bowers.

UW-Oshkosh rounded out the top five with a score of 107.34 and two returning scorers from its 2013 national runner-up squad. Second-ranked shot putter Nick Grosskopf and third-ranked high jumper John McCann lead the way for the Titans.

No. 6 MIT, which was 45th at the 2013 championships; No. 7 North Central (Ill.); No. 8 SUNY Cortland; No. 9 Bates; and No. 10 Monmouth (Ill.) complete the top 10.

With four of the top five teams in the nation and six total in the top 25, the WIAC topped the chart in terms of conferences. The CCIW was next with three.

Women’s Preseason Rankings
WOMEN’S TEAMS WITH MULTIPLE RETURNING INDIVIDUAL SCORERS FROM 2013 NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
3 Washington (Mo.)
3 UW-La Crosse
3 Wartburg
2 UW-Whitewater
2 Monmouth (Ill.)
2 Williams
2 St. Lawrence

With three returning scorers from the 2013 indoor championships and a rankings score of 182.60 — nearly 40 points better than No. 2 MIT — Wartburg will begin its journey to reclaim the NCAA indoor crown as the preseason favorite.

Kayla Hemann is the nation’s top returner in the shot put and is third on the weight throw list. On the track, Camesha Goods is the top-ranked returner in the 60-meter hurdles along with No. 3 Tashina McAllister and No. 5 Sarah Boraas; and Kristin Canning tops the list of returners at 800 meters.

As with the men, the women’s teams ranked No. 1 at the beginning of each of the past four seasons have won two titles: UW-Oshkosh in 2011 and Wartburg in 2012.

Top-ranked Illinois Wesleyan in 2010 and Wartburg in 2013 both finished fourth at NCAAs in their respective years. UW-Oshkosh won in 2013 from the preseason No. 2 spot and Wartburg claimed the title in 2010 from the 42nd spot in the year’s initial poll.

With 145.69 rankings points, No. 2 MIT will look to become the second team in a row to win the national crown from the preseason No. 2 spot. Among national returners, Jaclyn Konopka is second in the shot put and Sarah Quinn is fourth in the mile.

The Engineers are boosted by early season performances in the new 3000 meters event, with Maryann Gong running the best time of the early 2014 season to lead three MIT women in the nation’s top five. Data from 3000 meters races in 2013 was not included.

No. 3 UW-La Crosse tied the national lead with three returning individual scorers from its third-place team in 2013, checking in with a rankings score of 108.75. Top nationally-ranked returners for the Eagles include third-ranked Bailey Alston in the long jump and Claire Elliot at 400 meters.

ACTIVE WOMEN’S INDOOR NCAA CHAMP
Jenna Breaker, Ripon
High Jump (2013)

Defending national champion No. 4 UW-Oshkosh is without multiple-time 2013 individual champion Christy Cazzola, but the Titans still registered a team score of 100.52 with just one returning scorer from its title team. Melanie Brickner is the nation’s top returner in the weight throw and sixth in the shot put, while fellow thrower Abby Martin is third in the shot put and 12th in the weight throw. Kylee Verhasselt is also fifth at 800 meters.

No. 5 Williams completed the top five with 99.16 rankings points and a pair of returners from its 2013 seventh-place team. Amina Avril is the nation’s best returner in the weight throw, while Brianne Mirecki is ranked No. 2 in the mile.

Rounding out the top 10 was two-time defending cross country champion Johns Hopkins at No. 6, No. 7 St. Thomas (Minn.), No. 8 UW-Whitewater, No. 9 Washington (Mo.) and No. 10 Wheaton (Mass.).

With three teams in the top 10 and four total squads in the rankings, the WIAC emerged as the top conference, followed by five conferences with two teams apiece.

View All Teams Beyond the Top 25

USTFCCCA NCAA DIVISION III
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD NATIONAL TEAM COMPUTER RANKINGS (TOP 25)
2014 Preseason — January 15
next ranking: January 29

Rank School Points Conference Head Coach (Yr) 2013 FINAL
1 UW-La Crosse 212.23 WIAC Josh Buchholtz (6th) 1
2 Mount Union 171.53 OAC Kevin Lucas (4th) 13
3 UW-Eau Claire 131.60 WIAC Chip Schneider (12th) 3
4 UW-Whitewater 114.68 WIAC Mike Johnson (5th) 4
5 UW-Oshkosh 107.34 WIAC Eamon McKenna (2nd) 2
6 MIT 75.56 NEWMAC Halston Taylor (24th) 45
7 North Central (Ill.) 73.61 CCIW Frank Gramarosso (4th) 8
8 SUNY Cortland 71.11 SUNYAC Steve Patrick (7th) NR
9 Bates 59.67 NESCAC Al Fereshetian (19th) 5
10 Monmouth (Ill.) 58.87 Midwest Conference Roger Haynes (31st) 6
11 UW-Stevens Point 58.47 WIAC Rick Witt (35th) 12
12 Wabash 58.05 NCAC Clyde Morgan (6th) 11
13 Wartburg 54.13 IIAC Marcus Newsom (16th) 36
14 Widener 53.07 Middle Atlantic Vince Touey (27th) 58
15 Christopher Newport 52.61 CAC Tyler Wingard (8th) NR
16 Central (Iowa) 46.75 IIAC Joe Dunham (6th) 9
17 Buffalo State 46.06 SUNYAC Eugene Lewis (14th) 58
18 Haverford 45.44 Centennial Tom Donnelly (39th) 9
19 Carthage 45.20 CCIW Brett Witt (9th) 21
20 Southern Maine 42.52 Little East Steve Virgilio (5th) 58
21 Ohio Wesleyan 39.97 NCAC Kris Boey (12th) 7
22 UW-Platteville 38.73 WIAC Chris Rotzenberg (2nd) 19
23 Moravian 35.76 Landmark Jesse Baumann (3rd) 45
24 Greenville 35.68 SLIAC Brian Patton (20th) 29
25 Augustana (Ill.) 31.69 CCIW Paul Olsen (45th) 14





Men’s Conference Index Top 10
Rank Conference Points Top 25 Teams
1 WIAC 722.67 6
2 OAC 238.75 1
3 SUNYAC 187.84 2
4 CCIW 171.02 3
5 NESCAC 164.05 1
6 IIAC 132.31 2
7 Little East 114.52 1
8 NCAC 107.04 2
9 NEWMAC 103.64 1
10 MIAC 87.18



View All Teams Beyond the Top 25

USTFCCCA NCAA DIVISION III
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD NATIONAL TEAM COMPUTER RANKINGS (TOP 25)
2014 Preseason — January 15
next ranking: January 29

Rank School Points Conference Head Coach (Yr) 2013 FINAL
1 Wartburg 182.60 IIAC Marcus Newsom (16th) 4
2 MIT 145.69 NEWMAC Halston Taylor (7th) 13
3 UW-La Crosse 108.75 WIAC Pat Healy (23rd) 3
4 UW-Oshkosh 100.52 WIAC Ben Dorsey (2nd) 1
5 Williams 99.16 NESCAC Nate Hoey (1st) 7
6 Johns Hopkins 91.55 Centennial Bobby Van Allen (15th) 21
7 St. Thomas (Minn.) 82.50 MIAC Joe Sweeney (34th) 18
8 UW-Whitewater 79.96 WIAC Mike Johnson (3rd) 21
9 Washington (Mo.) 72.61 UAA Jeff Stiles (13th) 6
10 Wheaton (Mass.) 65.17 NEWMAC Dave Cusano (3rd) 9
11 Emory 64.62 UAA John Curtin (29th) 9
12 North Central (Ill.) 62.43 CCIW Kari Kluckhohn (11th) 42
13 Monmouth (Ill.) 60.27 Midwest Conference Roger Haynes (14th) 5
14 UW-Stout 59.44 WIAC Laura Knudsen (6th) 23
15 SUNY Cortland 55.56 SUNYAC Steve Patrick (7th) NR
16 Middlebury 51.34 NESCAC Martin Beatty (26th) 15
17 Rowan 47.11 NJAC Derick "Ringo” Adamson (7th) 49
18 St. Lawrence 46.40 Liberty League Kate Curran (6th) 19
19 Illinois Wesleyan 41.20 CCIW Chris Schumacher (17th) 17
20 Gwynedd-Mercy 40.93 Colonial States Mike Dager (7th) NR
21 St. Scholastica 37.07 UMAC Kirk Nauman (7th) NR
22 Denison 36.87 NCAC Mark FitzPatrick (3rd) NR
23 Rhode Island College 32.29 Little East Kevin Jackson (13th) 37
24 Luther 31.75 IIAC Jeffrey Wettach (8th) 37
25 Mount Union 31.26 OAC Kevin Lucas (4th) 9





Women’s Conference Index Top 10
Rank Conference Points Top 25 Teams
1 WIAC 396.62 4
2 NESCAC 276.32 2
3 NEWMAC 263.01 2
4 IIAC 224.71 2
5 UAA 161.88 2
6 CCIW 144.78 2
7 SUNYAC 134.76 1
8 Centennial 131.02 1
9 MIAC 121.40 1
10 Midwest Conference 117.93 1




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