Willamette Women's Cross Country Team Moves into Top 10 in National Poll

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, ORE. -- The Willamette University women's cross country team moved up two positions this week to grab the #10 ranking in the NCAA Division III Poll released by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Oct. 8. The women's team remained #1 in the West Region.

In the men's rankings, the Bearcats advanced one spot to #4 in the West Region. Willamette's men received points in the NCAA Division III Poll, but were not listed in the Top 35.

Johns Hopkins University (Md.) kept the #1 spot in the women's National Poll with all eight first place votes and 280 points. Massachusetts Institute of Technology stayed at #2 with 269 points. St. Lawrence University (N.Y.) held firm at #3 in the poll with 267 points.

Likewise, Middlebury College (Vt.) retained the #4 ranking with 250 points. SUNY Geneseo (N.Y.) advanced one position to #5 in the poll and received 247 points. Washington University (Mo.) stayed at #6 with 241 points, while Oberlin College (Ohio) dropped two spots to #7 with 237 points.

Williams College (Mass.) went up from #10 a week ago to #8 this week with 224 points. Tufts University (Mass.) fell one spot to #9 with 207 points. Willamette almost overtook Tufts, but claimed the #10 ranking with 206 points.

The top ranking in the men's National Poll remained with North Central College (Ill.), which received all eight first place votes and 280 points. North Central is in its third week at #1 this season.

St. Olaf College (Minn.) took a small jump from #3 to #2 this week with 272 points in the poll. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire switched places with St. Olaf and fell one spot to #3 with 264 points.

Williams advanced six spots to #4 with 256 points, while University of Wisconson-Platteville moved up two positions to #5 with 238 points. Colby College (Maine) remained #6 and received 236 points. SUNY Geneseo went up two slots to #7 with 231 points, while Central College (Iowa) slipped three positions to follow at #8 with 224 points.

St. Lawrence held the #9 ranking with 211 points after dropping five spots from last week. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse jumped five spots to #10 with 205 points.

Willamette continued at #1 in the women's West Region Rankings and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Calif.) remained at #2. The #3 ranking when to Whitworth University, which advanced two positions from a week ago. University of Puget Sound stayed at #4, while Whitman College dropped two spots to #5.

In the men's West Region Rankings, the top three teams remained the same. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps was listed at #1, with Pomona-Pitzer (Calif.) at #2 and Occidental College (Calif.) at #3. Willamette stepped up one spot to #4 and Puget Sound advanced one position to #5. Whitman, ranked #6 last week, dropped to spots to #6.

Willamette, Puget Sound and Whitman were joined in the men's West Region Rankings by NWC rivals Whitworth and Lewis & Clark College. Whitworth was #7 and L&C was #10.

The Bearcats do not compete this weekend, but will participate in two meets on Saturday, Oct. 18. One group of Willamette runners will run at the Brooks Invitational in Winneconne, Wis., starting at 10:30 a.m. (CDT)/8:30 a.m. (PDT). Another group of runners will compete at the Lewis & Clark Invitational, which begins at 11 a.m. (PDT).