By: Erin Madden

NEW ORLEANS - The Baldwin Wallace University women's outdoor track and field team is ranked in the first edition U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Ratings Index of the outdoor season. 

After spending most of the indoor season ranked in the top 25, the Yellow Jackets have debuted in the outdoor season at No. 15 and are one of three nationally ranked teams in the Ohio Athletic Conference, behind crosstown rival John Carroll University and the University of Mount Union. The Blue Streaks and the Purple Raiders are both ranked in the top-5 at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. BW ranks fifth behind Mount Union, John Carroll and Ohio Northern University in the first weekly regional rankings, also released by the USTFCCCA. 

Last weekend at the University of Mount Union's unscored meet, the Yellow Jackets turned in a few Division III top-5 marks between led the reigning OAC Women's Field Athlete of the Week, senior thrower Brooke Buckhannon (Collins/Western Reserve), senior All-OAC distance runner Hastings Marek (Pataskala/Watkins Memorial) and junior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC distance runner Alyssa Laughner (Howard, Pa./Central Mountain). Buckhannon leads the nation in the hammer throw while Marek and Laughner rank third and fourth, respectively, in the 5,000-meter run. 

BW will host the 51st Sparky Adams Invitational on Friday, April 2, beginning at 10:30 a.m. inside George Finnie Stadium.