Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Griak Results Alter NCAA DII Women’s National Coaches’ Poll

Griak Results Alter NCAA DII Women’s National Coaches’ Poll


By Kyle Terwillegar, USTFCCCA
September 28, 2016   



NEW ORLEANS – The Roy Griak Invitational turned out to be a proving ground for NCAA Division II Women’s Cross Country teams, as several teams made big moves – for better or for worse – in the newest National Coaches’ Poll.
While meet champion No. 4 U-Mary didn’t get a bump in the poll announced Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), the top-15 was littered with teams who impressed at the Les Bolstad Golf Course.
National PDFs: Top 25 Summary | Week-by-Week 2016 | Week-by-Week All-TimeRegional Rankings PDFs: Regional Rankings Summary | Rankings Recap
Division II XC Polls/Rankings Central | MEN’S POLL

NCAA Division II National Coaches’ Poll Top 5 – Women

1)Grand Valley State2)Adams State3)Adams State4)Augustana (S.D.)5)Minnesota Duluth
GVSUAdams StateChico StateU-MaryWestern State
View Complete Women’s National Coaches’ Poll
U-Mary was part of a completely stationary top five, still headed by No. 1 Grand Valley State with five of the eight first-place votes. Defending national champion No. 2 Adams State, No. 3 Chico State, U-Mary and No. 5 Western State rounded out the top five.
The highest-ranked mover was runner-up Minnesota Duluth, which improved three spots to No. 6 after a narrow two-point loss to U-Mary, 93-95. The Bulldogs were marginally better than the Marauders through three runners, 27-28, but U-Mary was just a touch stronger in the back two-fifths of its scoring lineup, 65-68.
This is already the second time the two teams have met this season, with potentially three more showdowns slated for the postseason at the NSIC, Central Region and NCAA championships.
 No. 11 Northern Michigan jumped up six spots with its third-place effort, rebounding from a sluggish performance at the Michigan State Spartan Invitational earlier this month.
Another pair of teams made their 2016 National Coaches’ Poll top-25 debuts off the strength of their respective fourth- and fifth-place finishes at Griak: No. 14 UC-Colorado Springs and No. 15 UC San Diego.
Those two came in just ahead of No. 16 Western Washington – a team that disappointed with a sixth-place finish at Griak and dropped eight spots from last time as a result.
With Western Washington dropping out of the top-10, that opened the door for Cedarville to break into the top-10 for the first time in program history at No. 10.
No. 21 Pittsburg State also joined the poll with its seventh-place effort in Minnesota. This is the Gorillas’ first top-25 appearance since late in 2013.
See the full poll below.
The USTFCCCA National Coaches’ Poll for DII ranks the top 25 teams in the country. Voting panel of eight consists of the eight regional representatives, per gender.

USTFCCCA NCAA Division II

Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll

2016 Week #3 — September 28

next poll: October 5
RankInstitution (FPV)PointsRegion (CR)ConferenceHead Coach (Yr*)
Last
Week
1Grand Valley State (5)197Midwest (1)GLIACJerry Baltes (18th)
1
2Adams State (3)195South Central (1)RMACDamon Martin (29th)
2
3Chico State183West (1)CCAAGary Towne (21st)
3
4U-Mary174Central (1)NSICDennis Newell (11th)
4
5Western State166South Central (2)RMACJennifer Michel (10th)
5
6Minnesota Duluth159Central (2)NSICJoanna Warmington (6th)
9
7Southern Indiana155Midwest (2)GLVCMike Hillyard (20th)
6
8Hillsdale146Midwest (3)GLIACAndrew Towne (6th)
7
9Stonehill135East (1)Northeast-10Karen Boen (19th)
10
10Cedarville121Midwest (4)G-MACJeff Bolender (7th)
11
11Northern Michigan117Midwest (5)GLIACJenny Ryan (10th)
17
12Cal Baptist110West (2)PacWestBen Gall (5th)
13
13Augustana (S.D.)106Central (3)NSICTracy Hellman (16th)
12
14UC-Colorado Springs98South Central (3)RMACCorey Kubatzky (2nd)
NR
15UC San Diego86West (3)CCAANate Garcia (10th)
RV
16Western Washington74West (4)GNACPee Wee Halsell (30th)
8
17Dallas Baptist69South Central (4)HeartlandJacob Phillips (12th)
14
18Malone56Midwest (6)G-MACJack Hazen (26th)
15
19Seattle Pacific50West (5)GNACKarl Lerum (4th)
18
20Montevallo44Southeast (1)Peach BeltJulia Marquardt (4th)
19
21Pittsburg State40Central (4)MIAARuss Jewett (31st)
RV
22Colorado Mines35South Central (5)RMACChris Siemers (5th)
21
23Bloomsburg32Atlantic (1)PSACBernie Empie (8th)
19
24Shippensburg18Atlantic (2)PSACSteve Spence (19th)
22
25Lewis15Midwest (7)GLVCJames Kearney (3rd)
23
Also Receiving Votes: Alaska Anchorage 12, Queens (N.C.) 5, Saint Leo 2
Dropped Out: No. 16 Winona State, No. 24 Alaska Anchorage, No. 25 Queens (N.C.)
(* year as head coach of that team in women’s cross country, officially NCAA-recognized coach listed)


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