NDSU Women Climb to No. 7 Ranking in Midwest Region

The North Dakota State women’s track & field team is ranked seventh in the Midwest region in the latest regional rankings released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Monday, Feb. 16. The No. 7 ranking is an improvement of four spots over last week.

The Bison climbed the rankings on the strength of three performances at the Iowa State Classic on Feb. 13-14. Junior Erin Teschuk ran the nation’s No. 4 time and the region’s top time in the 3,000m at 9:02.40, breaking the 30-year-old NDSU school record by 28 seconds.

Senior Maddie Van Beek clocked the No. 3 time in the Midwest in the 5,000m as she broke her own school record by 33 seconds in 16:14.07. Van Beek now stands at No. 23 on the national performance list in the event.

Also at Iowa State, Deidre Hahn, Morgan Milbrath, Ashley Heinze and Rose Jackson ran 3:41.80 in the 4x400m relay to become the fourth-fastest team in NDSU history. They rank sixth in the Midwest region this season.

The Midwest region includes all Division I schools in the nine-state area of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota and North Dakota.

Teschuk is one of only six women in the nation who are among the NCAA’s top four in a pair of individual events. She is No. 4 on the national performance list in both the mile and the 3,000m.

USTFCCCA Midwest Region Rankings – Women (Feb. 16)

1. Kansas State

2. Nebraska

3. Minnesota

4. Iowa State

5. Oklahoma State

6. Oklahoma

7. North Dakota State

8. Missouri

9. Southern Illinois

10. Illinois

11. Kansas

12. Wichita State

13. South Dakota

14. Northern Illinois

15. Illinois State