Wildcats move up three spots in USTFCCCA women's Division II rating index after GNACs...
NEW ORLEANS--From a national perspective, the Division I schools across the country only competed in low-key or last chance meets in preparation for this upcoming weekend's championship meets.
That said, with championship weekend in the rearview mirror for the state's Division II teams, the Central Washington women's team, despite finishing second to Western Washington at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship last week in Bellingham, moved up three spots in the USTFCCCA NCAA Division II National Ranking Index released Tuesday morning.
Central Washington moved from number 16 to 13 in the ranking index.
While there were no new marks set by the Wildcats in the top 20 in Bellingham, the best new mark set over the weekend came from GNAC 400 hurdles champ Carley Huber (Charlie Arcese/WWU Athletics photo), who ran 60.13, currently the 25th best mark in D2.
The nation's top five women's teams in Division II are in order: Grand Valley State, Pittsburg State, West Texas A&M, Minnesota State, and Azusa Pacific.
Central Washington is the only school in the state and in the GNAC ranked in the national top 25.
Seattle Pacific is ranked number 31, and GNAC team champs Western Washington is at number 33.
No men's teams from the GNAC are in the top 25. Alaska Anchorage is the top rated men's team in the index at number 36, while team champion Western Washington is ranked 38th.
Pittsburg State, West Texas A&M, Wingate, Grand Valley State, and Missouri Southern are the nation's top five men's teams.
All Division II teams await the release from the NCAA Tuesday afternoon of the accepted entries into the NCAA Division II championships, which will occur May 22-24th in Pueblo, Colorado.
DIVISION I...
The Washington women, who were idle last weekend, maintained its number 9 position in the latest Division I ranking index.
There were some small changes in the national top five. The nation's top five teams are in order: Georgia, USC, Arkansas, Texas A&M, and BYU.
Oregon at number 8, UCLA at 16, Illinois at 18, and Nebraska at 20 are the other Big Ten women's teams in the national top 25.
The Washington men, who were also idle, remain outside the top 25 at number 32 in the index.
USC, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Nebraska and Georgia are the nation's top five men's teams.
Number 6 Minnesota, number 18 Wisconsin, and number 19 Iowa are the other Big Ten teams in the national top 25.
STUFF MISSED OVER THE WEEKEND...
While we were in Bellingham for the GNAC meet, members of the Brooks Beasts went to Portland Saturday to race in the Portland Twilight meet at Lewis & Clark College.
Brannon Kidder of the Beasts won the men's 1500 in 3:35.63, just ahead of Walla Walla native and Olympic steeplechase silver medalist Kenneth Rooks' 3:37.66 for third.
Yakima native Jonas Price of the University of Portland was fifth in 3:40.11, while Parker Stokes of the Beasts was sixth in 3:40.22.
In the women's 1500, Teagan Schein-Becker of the Brooks Beasts was second in 4:12.56, while teammate Valery Tobias was third in 4:15.29.
Marta Pen Freitas, on the comeback trail after being diagnosed with breast cancer before the Portuguese national championships, was fourth in the 800 in 2:07.28.
The Beasts are gearing up for next weekend's USATF Distance Carnival in Los Angeles.
In last Friday's Oregon Twilight, Washington alum Eleanor Fulton finished fourth in the women's invitational 1500, running 4:06.66, as the top four all went under the meet record.
NOTE: The USTFCCCA, and the sports information offices of Western Washington, Seattle Pacific, and Central Washington contributed to this report.
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