Jan. 24, 2008

NEW ORLEANS - Several teams and athletes have notched top marks this year and we are only heading into the final weekend in January. With over a month left in the indoor season a lot can happen as is evidenced by the first women's indoor rankings of 2008.

East Stroudsburg University opens up as the number one team in the country as the 2008 Women's USTFCCCA Division II Indoor Track & Field Coaches Power Rankings were released today by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The Warriors, who finished fourth at the PSAC indoor championships and 34th overall at the NCAA meet last March, tallied 184.53 power points.

Second-ranked Lewis University closely follows the Warriors with 182.95 power points as four teams in the top five are within four points of the top spot.

Following Lewis University is Hillsdale College with 181.55 points with Lock Haven University just over one point behind at 180.45. Lock Haven was last year's runner-up at the PSAC indoor championships.

Winona State, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, University of Mary, Adams State, Findlay and UMASS-Lowell complete the top ten in the first rankings of 2008.

Grand Valley State, last year's third place finisher at the Division II indoor championships and the highest ranked NCAA team from last year's championships, is ranked 11th.

The 2008 NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships will be held March 14-15 at Myers Field House on the campus of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn.

Southern Illinois-Edwardsville is the top-ranked men's team.

The 2008 Women's USTFCCCA Division II Coaches Power Rankings

Rank	School	Region	Points
1.	East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania	East	184.53
2.	Lewis University	Great Lakes	182.95
3.	Hillsdale College	Great Lakes	181.55
4.	Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania	East	180.45
5.	Winona State University	North Central	174.83
6.	Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville	Great Lakes	174.14
7.	University of Mary	North Central	172.61
8.	Adams State College	North Central	172.36
9.	University of Findlay	Great Lakes	171.77
10.	University of Massachusetts at Lowell	New England	170.15
11.	Grand Valley State University	Great Lakes	160.23
12.	Saint Joseph's College (Indiana)	Great Lakes	134.74
13.	Seton Hill University	East	127.48
14.	Concordia University, St. Paul	North Central	97.60
15.	Adelphi University	New England	82.65