Go figure: Cal women fall to No. 2 in nation

Cal's Maegan Manasse practices during the
Sacramento Challenger last July. Photo by
Paul Bauman

   For no apparent reason, Ohio State replaced Cal at No. 1 in the women's national rankings today.
   The Bears defeated then-No. 7 Florida 4-3 and unranked San Diego State 7-0, both in Berkeley, last week to improve to 10-0.
   The Buckeyes, previously ranked second, won 7-0 at Penn State and 6-1 at home against then-No. 24 Arizona State to move to 11-1.
   Ohio State's only loss came against -- guess who -- Cal in the semifinals of the ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championship in Madison, Wis., on Feb. 7.
   Stanford (5-2) dropped four places to No. 20 despite beating Florida 4-3 and Fresno State 7-0 at Stanford. The Bulldogs (6-4) rose four to No. 22.
   The reigning NCAA champion Virginia men (8-2), featuring sophomore Collin Altamirano of Sacramento, remained No. 2 behind North Carolina (14-0).
   UCLA (0-2), with junior Mackenzie McDonald of Piedmont and sophomore Logan Staggs of Tracy, fell two spots to No. 6.
   Cal (6-1) dropped six notches to No. 18, and Stanford (5-6) tumbled eight places to No. 37.

COLLEGE RANKINGS

(Top 10 and Northern California; previous ranking in parentheses)

Women

1. Ohio State (2)
2. Cal (1)
3. North Carolina (6)
4. Michigan (3)
5. Texas Tech (8)
6. Duke (9)
7. Georgia (5)
8. Vanderbilt (4)
9. LSU (12)
10. Oklahoma State (11)
20. Stanford (16)
22. Fresno State (26)
61. Santa Clara (none)
62. San Jose State (60)

Men

1. North Carolina (1)
2. Virginia (2)
3. Texas Christian (8)
4. Ohio State (3)
5. Oklahoma State (9)
6. UCLA (4)
7. Wake Forest (5)
8. Texas A&M (7)
9. Northwestern (15)
10. Texas Tech (6)
18. Cal (12)
37. Stanford (29)
56. Pacific (70)