KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Indiana State men's track & field team moved up four spots to 59th while the Sycamore women remained 37th in the final rankings issued Monday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) prior to the start of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
The ranking is the highest in week eight for the Sycamore men and an improvement over the 69th ranking in week eight a year ago. It is also their highest ranking of the season since the preseason data was released with the Sycamores 49th. The women's ranking is their second highest in week eight since the current system was established in 2008. Indiana State was 29th in week eight of the 2010 season.
Illinois State continues to be the highest ranked men's team from the Missouri Valley Conference as they moved up two spots to 57th in the national rankings. Indiana State follows in 59th with Northern Iowa 72nd, Wichita State 73rd, Southern Illinois 86th, and Drake 168th. Indiana is the highest ranked team from the state of Indiana with the Hoosiers dropping 10 spots to 46th in this week's rankings. Purdue comes in at 54th with Indiana State 59th, Notre Dame 64th, and Butler 142nd. Loyola will join the Missouri Valley next season and are ranked 45th.
Wichita State moved eight spots to be the highest ranked women's team from the Missouri Valley Conference in 18th. Illinois State returned to the top 25 and are ranked 25th followed by Indian State at 37th, Southern Illinois 68th, Missouri State 114th, Northern Iowa 127th, and Drake 190th. Notre Dame is the top ranked team in the state of Indiana as they moved up one to 28th followed by the Sycamores in 37th, Indiana 59th, and Butler 61st. Loyola will join the Valley next year and are ranked 80th.
The Sycamores will be sending 23 athletes into the post season which is their largest group in the four year history of the current NCAA Championship series that features two preliminary sites for the first two rounds of competition and begins later this week. Indiana State will be competing in the NCAA East Preliminary at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. The West preliminary will be held in Austin, Tex. The competition opens on Thursday and continues through Saturday.
The Indiana State men will be sending 11 individuals to compete in 13 events while the Sycamore women will be sending 12 women to compete in 12 events.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES
The 13 events that the Indiana State men will compete in is the most by any Valley school for the 2013 Championship. Northern Iowa is second among the men's teams with eight.
The Indiana State women will compete in 12 events during the NCAA Championship which ties them with Southern Illinois for the most by a Valley school. Wichita State's nine is the third most for the Valley women's teams.
The 25 total accepted entries by the Sycamores is also the most of any Valley school. Southern Illinois has 18 and Wichita State 16.
Indiana State freshman Katie Wise was accepted into her third event for the NCAA East Preliminary over the weekend. Wise had already been accepted into the 100 meter dash and as a member of the Sycamore 4x100 meter relay team. She was accepted into the field for the 200 meter dash over the weekend, an event she has run only twice this season and both at the MVC Outdoor Championships where she placed fifth.
Carmelia Stewart will also join the Sycamore women on the trip to the NCAA East Preliminary as an alternate on the 4x100 meter relay team. Kaisha Martin, Macey Black, Demetra Camble, and Wise make up the 4x100 team that won the MVC title this year.
GREAT LAKES REGION RANKINGS
The final week of the region rankings were also released May 14 by the USTFCCCA with the Sycamore women finishing the 2013 season in fifth while the men dropped a notch to eighth in the Great Lakes Region.
The top six teams from the week six rankings will finish the Great Lakes Region rankings in that order led by Notre Dame and followed by Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Indiana State, and Kent State. Wisconsin moved up two to seventh with Indiana dropping one to eighth, Akron down one to ninth and Miami (Ohio) up one to 10th. The rest of the top 15 has Cincinnati followed by Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Purdue, and Butler.
The top three teams were unchanged in the men's Great Lakes Region rankings with Wisconsin on top followed by Ohio State and Indiana. Akron and Michigan both moved up one spot to fourth and fifth, respectively, with Notre Dame dropping two to sixth. Purdue and Indiana State swapped positions with the Boilermakers now seventh and Sycamores eighth. Kent State and Michigan State also swapped spots with the Golden Flashes now ninth and the Spartans 10th. The rest of the top 15 has Miami (Ohio) followed by Eastern Michigan, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and Central Michigan.
USTFCCCA Rankings
