Washington University Atop USTFCCCA DIII Women’s Program of the Year Standings

St. Louis, Mo., March 14, 2012 – At the conclusion of the indoor track & field season, the Washington University in St. Louis women’s cross country and track & field program sits in first place in the 2011-12 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division III Women’s Program of the Year standings, as announced by the USTFCCCA on Wednesday.

After winning the 2011 NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championships and finishing third at the 2012 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships, the Washington University women lead the Deb Vercauteren Program of the Year Award standings with four points. Wartburg College, who won the Indoor National Championship and finished sixth in cross country, is in second place with seven points. Washington U. finished ninth in the Program of the Year standings for 2010-11, which is the program’s best overall women’s finish.

On the men’s side, Washington University sits in fifth place with 22 ½ points. North Central College (Ill.) won both the cross country and the indoor track & field team titles to lead the standings with two points.

The Program of the Year Award is given annually to the most outstanding cross country/track & field programs. The award honors the institution that has achieved the most success in each academic year (spanning the cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field seasons) based on the institution’s finish at the NCAA Championships.

In order to be eligible for the award, teams must qualify for each of the NCAA Championships. Scoring is based on the team’s finish at each championship (i.e. first = one point, second = two points, 31st = 31 points) with the lowest total score for all three championships combined determining the award recipient. Ties among schools split points for positions taken.