By Brandon Chinn, Athletics Communications Writer

SALEM, ORE. -- Themen's and women's track and fieldteams from Willamette University continue to hold theirregionalpositions for thefourth consecutive week in the latest rankings for the West Region of NCAA Division III,asreleased by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

For Willamette, the women's teammaintained its fourth place ranking in the West Region while the men's team remained at #5.

Having passedGeorge Fox University for the#1 rankingin the West Region twoweeks ago in the women's standings, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Calif.) continued tohold down its #1 ranking with a total of 475.07 points.After increasingits total from last week by 6.34 points, George Fox remainedranked #2 in a comfortable lead over #3California Lutheran University, which totaled 388.96 points this week.

Despite remaining #4 in the rankings, Willamette's strong performance at the Gregory Invitational in Naperville, Ill., helpednarrowits third place gap tojust 1.08 points. The Bearcats have 387.88 points in the rankings.

In the men's standings for the West Region, #1 Whitworth University continued to distanceitself from the rest of the pack, improving by8.72 points from last week to 508.26 points. Theincreased point total for Whitworth served as the largest margin of change by any team in the top ten.

The University of Redlands (Calif.) remained #2 with 405.63 points, while La Verne ranked #3 with 365.47 points. Rounding out the top five were Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at #4 with 358.63 points and Willamette in fifth place with 294.27 points.

Pacific Lutheran University, ranked #6 with 262.99 points, joined Whitworth and Willamette as the only other Northwest Conference team in the top ten, despitedropping its totalby 1.14 points.

Wartburg College (Iowa) continued to dominate the NCAA Division III women's national rankings. After accumulating366.60 points last week, Wartburg increasedits total by46.91 points asit finished the week with 413.51 points.

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh also improved its weekly score, remainingat #2 with193.74 points. Washington University (Mo.) remained third at 128.04 whileIllinois Wesleyan University (88.39 pts.)heldthe #4 ranking despite dropping 9.79 points from last week. Illinois College used a 13.9-point increase to jumped from #10 to #5 with a total of 83.59 points.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in this week's top 25 was the emergence of Buffalo State College (N.Y.). Ranked just outside the top 25 at #28 last week, Buffalo State used a 25.04 point increase on this week's total to rank #12 with 60.77 points.

McMurry University (Texas) remained the #1 team in the men's national rankings with 257.50 points. The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse managed toimprove by 22.55 points in an effort to build a comfortable lead at #2 with a total of 173.46 points.

Rounding out the top five for the men's standings were #3 University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh at 164.16 points, #4 North Central College(Ill.) at 141.75 and #5 University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire at 138.98.

Three new teams emerged in the top 25. University of Wisconsin-River Falls, previously ranked #30, produced a total of 59.44 this week which was good enough to movethe teamup to #13 in the nation. Hamline University (Minn.) moved up from #36 to #17 with 50.14 points, while the University of Mount Union (Ohio) moved up three spots to #24 with a total of 44.15 points.

Four members of the Willamette University Track and Field women's program and one member from the men's team have been selected to compete in the 2012 NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships, set for May 24-26 at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps College in Claremont, Calif.

Competing for the Bearcats will be Jaela Dinsmore (Sr., Hines, OR; Burns HS) in the women's 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash, Brandi Miller (Sr., Grants Pass, OR/North Valley HS) in the heptathlon, Theresa Edwards (Jr., Lake Tapps, WA/Bonney Lake HS) in the women's 1,500-meter run, Michaela Freeby (Fr., Milwaukie, OR/Rex Putnam HS) in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase and Kit Kingstad (So., Beaverton, OR/Beaverton HS) in the men's 1,500-meter run.