JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Lincoln's men's outdoor track & field team is ranked No. 7 in the country while the Blue Tiger women are No. 8 in the final United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division II ratings before the NCAA Championships.

The Lincoln men's track & field team received 1076.59 points to claim the No. 7 ranking. West Texas A&M leads the men's ratings with 316.27 points, and is followed in the top-three by Grand Valley State (247.97 points) and Texas A&M-Commerce (193.05). Pittsburg State is No. 4 (191.35), and Adams State (167.93) and Central Missouri (129.82) are the other programs ranked ahead of LU. No. 10 Missouri Southern (102.44), No. 17 Washburn (67.01) and No. 25 Fort Hays State (49.07) are also ranked from the MIAA.

In the women's ratings, the Blue Tigers are No. 8 in the nation after collecting 117.35 points, and are the highest-ranked MIAA program in the country. LU is ranked two spots ahead of Pittsburg State, which garnered 113.57 points to check in at No. 10, while three other MIAA programs earned a mention: No. 12 Central Missouri (95.73), No. 15 Fort Hays State (71.47) and No. 21 Missouri Southern (49.33). Azusa Pacific leads the women's ratings with 251.42 points, and West Texas A&M is No. 2 (224.36) while Grand Valley State is No. 3 (210.94). The other teams ahead of LU include Minnesota State-Mankato (194.52), Adams State (152.42), Fresno Pacific (144.95) and the Academy of Art (126.98).

The ratings this week were based solely on the confirmed entries into the NCAA Division II Championships.

Nine members of the Lincoln men's team and 10 from the women's will compete in the 2022 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which will be held in Allendale, Mich. from Thursday through Saturday (May 26-28).