DIII Indoor T&F Rankings — 2012 Week 3, February 8

QUICKLY … The top three men’s teams — No. 1 North Central (Ill.), No. 2 UW-La Crosse, and No. 3 UW-Oshkosh — remain unchanged from the previous week and has been the same since the preseason. On the women’s side, the top six teams are the same as last week with No. 1 Wartburg, No. 2 UW-Oshkosh, and No. 3 Williams holding down the top three spots. Expect some movement next week national rankings will be compiled for the first time this season with only marks from the 2012 indoor season.

National Ranking PDFs: Top 25 | Full by Team | Event-by-Event | Week-by-Week
Regional Index PDFs: Top Ten by Region | Full by Team | Event-by-Event
Previous Rankings

About the Rankings
For more on the national team rankings and links to guideline and rationale information visit …
http://www.ustfccca.org/rankings/division-iii-rankings

Rankings are determined by a mathematical formula, which is based on current national descending order lists. This is what’s used to compile a team’s ranking. The purpose and methodology of the rankings is to create an index that showcases the teams that have the best potential of achieving the top spots in the national-title race.

The Regional Index is determined using a similar method as national rankings, but on a smaller scale, comparing teams versus others within the same region. The result is a ranking that showcases squads with better all-around team potential — a group makeup critical for conference or similar team-scored events. A team may achieve a better regional ranking than a counterpart that has a better national ranking. Historically, some teams are better national-championship teams than conference-championship teams, having a few elite athletes that score very well in a diverse environment where teams do not have entries in more than a few events. Some teams are better at conference championships or similar team-scored events where they enter, and are competitive, in many of the events.

How a team fares in a national championship, conference championship, or scored meet with only a couple or few teams (like a dual or triangular) can be very different, given the number of events, competition, scoring, and makeup of entries — thus the rationale behind each of the ranking systems. Similar arguments about team makeup and rankings can also be found in swimming & diving and wrestling as their sports also have a similar trichotomy when it comes to team theory.