KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
NEW ORLEANS ? The Indiana State women's track & field team moved up in the national rankings released Tuesday by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The Sycamores jumped up five spots and are now ranked 33rd in the nation. Indiana State was 38th in the second week of the outdoor rankings.
The Sycamore men dropped three spots in this week's USTFCCCA rankings, falling to 101st after being 98th in last week's rankings.
The first three weeks of the USTFCCCA rankings use a combination of 2009 results with performances from 2010 in the allocation of points which determine where a team falls in the rankings. The rating system is a more difficult this outdoor season with the change in post-season action.
Post-season action has changed from previous years with the NCAA going away from regional championships and scheduling mega-events at two locations for athletes to qualify for the NCAA National Outdoor Championships. The top 46 athletes in each event in each mega-region (east or west) are invited to compete at the mega-events which have been termed as the first two rounds of the National Championship.
Indiana State will compete at Greensboro, N.C., May 27-29 with the NCAA Championship set for Eugene, Ore., June 9-12.
The Indiana State women are now the top ranked team in the Missouri Valley Conference as Southern Illinois dropped two spots and are just behind the Sycamores in 34th. Northern Iowa fell to 82nd in this week's rankings with Wichita State dropping to 104th, Illinois State moved up one to 143rd, Missouri State fell to 144th, and Drake entered the rankings at 192nd. Among the state schools, Indiana is ranked 40th, Notre Dame 86th, and Purdue 119th.
The Great Lakes Region rankings were also released with the Sycamore women remainig 10th in this week's rankings. Indiana remained the top team in the region rankings followed by Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Akron, Michigan, Notre Dame, Purdue, Kent State, and Indiana State.
Wichita State is the top men's team from the Missouri Valley Conference in the USTFCCCA national rankings at 74th. Northern Iowa is 85th with Indiana State 101st, Southern Illinois 130th, and Illinois State 159th. Among the state schools, Butler is ranked 47th with Indiana 59th, Purdue 60th, and Notre Dame 124th.
In the Great Lakes Region, the Sycamore men dropped two spots to 13th in this week's rankings. Indiana is the top school in the region followed by Wisconsin, Ohio State, Akron, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Kent State, Michigan, Purdue, and Cincinnati.
Link to USTFCCCA rankings: http://www.ustfccca.org/rankings/division-i-rankings
