By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director
SALEM, Ore. -- Both of the Willamette University cross country teams remain nationally ranked this week. The Bearcats women's team is ranked #26 in and the Willamette men's team is listed at #35 in the NCAA Division III National Polls released by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Sept. 14. In addition, both Willamette teams are ranked #3 in the West Region.
Williams College (Mass.) remained atop the women's National Poll with all eight first place votes and 280 points. Williams also received every first place vote in the Preseason Poll.
The first four teams were unchanged in the women's poll. SUNY Geneseo (N.Y.) was #2 with 269 points and Johns Hopkins University (Md.) was #3 with 266 points. Washington University (Mo.) held the #4 spot with 255 points.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology advanced two spots from the Preseason Poll to claim the #5 ranking at 248 points. Tufts University (Mass.) fell one position to #6 at 236. SUNY Oneonta (N.Y.) also dropped one spot to #7 at 233.
Middlebury College (Vt.) stayed at #8 and received 221 points. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Calif.) moved up two spots to enter the top 10 at #9 with 213 ponts. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse remained #10 with 206 points.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Willamette were two of four West Region teams in the women's National Poll. Colorado College was listed at #21 and Whitworth University entered the poll at #30.
In the West Region women's rankings, Claremont-Mudd Scripps was at #1, while Colorado College was #2 and Willamette followed at #3. Whitworth held the #4 ranking and Occidental College (Calif.) was #5.
A total of five Northwest Conference women's teams were featured in the West Region rankings. In addition to Willamette and Whitworth in the top 5, Lewis & Clark College was #8, Whitman College was #9 and George Fox University was #10.
Ranked #1 in the men's National Poll was North Central College (Ill.), which retained the top ranking with six first place votes and 278 points. SUNY Geneseo held at #2 with a pair of first place votes and 274 points. Williams remained #3 with 264 points.
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire stayed at #4 and received 250 points. Massachusetts Institute of Technology advanced two spots to #5 with 247 points, and Pomona-Pitzer (Calif.) slipped one spot to #6 at 239. St. Olaf College (Minn.) dropped one position to #7 at 237.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and University of Wisconsin-La Crosse were tied for #8 with 220 ponits each. Amherst College (Mass.) was ranked #10.
Willamette, Pomona-Pitzer and CMS were the only West Region teams in the men's poll.
The top four teams in the West Region men's rankings remained the same. Pomona-Pitzer was listed at #1, with CMS at #2, Willamette at #3 and Occidental at #4. Whitman received the #5 rankings.
Joining Willamette and Whitman as NWC squads listed in the men's West Region rankings were University of Puget Sound at #6, Whitworth at #7, George Fox at #8, and Linfield College at #10.
The Bearcats will be in action on Friday, Sept. 16 at the Bill Dellinger Invitational, hosted by the University of Oregon. The meet will be held at the Springfield Golf Club in Springfield, Oregon, starting at 5:15 p.m.
