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Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324

Complete USTFCCCA Top 25 Rankings

Apr. 20, 2011-- The North Central College men's track & field squad climbed up five spots to second in the third installment of the National Team Computer Rankings for the outdoor season, released Wednesday by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The computer rankings are new for the 2011 season. Mathematical formulae based on current national descending-order lists in all events are used to compile a team's ranking. The purpose of the rankings is to create an index that showcases the teams that have the best potential of achieving the top spots at the NCAA Division III National Championships.

The Cardinals tallied 149.96 points in the week three rankings, and improvement of 43.81 points to move five spots from seventh to second. McMurry University (Texas) remains the top ranked team in NCAA Division III, as the War Hawks accumulated 232.55 points. The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse climbs one spot to third with 125.43 points while Central College (Iowa) slumps to fourth (122.81 points). University of La Verne (Calif.) rounds out the top five with 121.63 points.

Augustana College is the only other College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin institution to appear in the rankings. The Vikings dropped two spots to tenth with 85.12 points.

North Central's rise in the rankings coincides with the squad's dominating victory at Wednesday's Wheaton College Twilight Invitational. The Cardinals won 13 events at the meet while tallying seven provisional qualifying marks, racking up 295 points in the team standings to more than triple the next closest teams point total.

The Cardinals are idle this weekend and will compete as a split squad next week, sending a small contingent to the prestigious Drake Relays on Apr. 28-30 while the remainder of the team will compete at the Benedictine University Invitational on Apr. 29.