Falcons fly to number 21 in latest USTFCCCA Division II women's poll...

Seattle Pacific's Kaylee Mitchell (289), Dania Holmberg (285), and
Kate Lilly (287) all broke 18 minutes at the Charles Bowles Invitational
last week (Paul Merca photo)

NEW ORLEANS—After finishing fourth at the Charles Bowles Invitational in Salem, Oregon last Saturday, the Seattle Pacific women’s cross country team finds itself nationally ranked for the first time this season, according to the latest USTFCCCA Division II coaches poll released Wednesday.

The Falcons are ranked number 21 in the country according to the poll that ranks the top 25 teams in Division II.

Seattle Pacific helped its cause last week by beating #17 Point Loma Nazarene at the Charles Bowles Invitational.  The Falcons were the first NCAA Division II school in the meet, finishing only behind Boise State, Lipscomb, and Portland State. As a result, Point Loma Nazarene dropped down eight spots to number 25 in the coaches poll.

The country’s top five women’s teams in Division II are in order: Adams State, Grand Valley State, Western State, U-Mary, and Colorado Mines.

Other schools in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference ranked nationally include number 8 Alaska Anchorage, and number 11 Simon Fraser.

Meanwhile, the Western Washington men’s team’s stay in the national top 25 was short-lived, despite being idle last week, as they dropped out of the top 25, though they were one of four schools that received votes from the coaches.

The USTFCCCA national women's poll is available here.

NOTE:  The USTFCCCA and the sports information office at Seattle Pacific University contributed to this report.