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

Mar. 9, 2010-- The North Central College women's track & field squad continues its rise in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division III National Team Rankings, climbing up one spot to 11th.

The Cardinals jumped up one spot in the rankings for the second straight week to 11th after amassing 52.46 points. Wartburg College (Iowa) remains atop the rankings with 153.30 points with Massachusetts Institute of Technology remaining second with 114.84 points. The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh is fourth (96.80 points) followed closely by College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin rival Illinois Wesleyan University (93.69 points). Carthage College is the only other CCIW institution in the Top 25, falling two spots to 23rd (29.25 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 enters this weekend's NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships with five qualifiers across five different events. Lauren Brightmore (400-meter dash), Brandye Jackson (55-meter hurdles), Michelle Criscione (high jump), Rachel Secrest (pole vault) and Melissa Savino (Pentathlon) will all be making the trek to Greencastle, Ind. for this year's championship and will look to improve on last year's sixth place finish.

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.