FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
USTFCCCA Top 25 Rankings

Mar. 9, 2010-- The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association released its final NCAA Division III National Team Rankings of the regular season on Monday, with the North Central College men's track & field squad rising two spots to claim the No. 1 ranking for the first time this season.

The Cardinals scored 135.14 points in this week's rankings to claim the No. 1 spot. The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh remains second with 125.89 points while previous No. 1, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, falls to third with 114.13 points. The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse remains fourth (96.78 points) with the State University of New York-Geneseo rounding out the top five with 87 points.

This is the first year that the USTFCCCA has utilized its new formula for compiling rankings, which utilizes the NCAA Division III Indoor National performance list and assigns points to up to 30 athletes in each event. The purpose of the rankings is to create an index that showcases the teams that have the best potential of excelling at the national championships.

North Central will be sending more entrants than any other school to this weekend's NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships, with 12 entries slated to compete across eight events. Anchoring the Cardinal contingent will be the pole vaulters with four athletes qualifying, including the defending indoor National Champion Jake Winder. Joining Winder in the vault will be John Wood, Peter Geraghty and Thomas Stacey. North Central boasts two qualifiers in the pentathlon in Matt Borchardt and Joe Schneiderbauer while Robert Kapustka qualified in both the shot put and weight throw. In the running events, Dan Benton (400-meters), Jacob Austin (800-meters), Kyle Brady (5,000-meters) and the 4x400-meter relay team of Benton, Jonathan Caron, Dayton Henriksen and Jon Howard will be making the trip for the Cardinals who finished seventh at last year's Indoor National Championships.

The NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships begin on Friday at the James A. Hollensteiner Track and conclude on Saturday. Action begins at 9 a.m. (Eastern Time) on both days.