EUGENE, Ore. – Propelled by a national championship from San Francisco distance runner Charlotte Taylor in the 10,000 meters, the Dons closed the season tied for 21st nationally in the team standings at the 2017 NCAA Track and Field Championships.

Earning 10 points for an individual event victory, USF finished in the top third of the 77 schools earning points by female competitors during the week at historic Hayward Field. The Dons were one point away from breaking into the top 20, and five points removed from a top-15 national finish.

"One of our program goals is to consistently be a team that contends for a top-15 finish at the National Championships, so our finish this year is a significant step in that direction," noted USF head coach Helen Lehman-Winters. "Obviously, we need to get more athletes to the finals to achieve this goal, but we truly believe we are capable of doing just that.

"We currently have a solid group of women who are focused on achieving at the highest level and are committed to the process of doing it together to we look forward to even further improvement in 2018."

Joining USF at the 10-point mark were Iowa State, Arizona, Purdue, Michigan, Miami and UTEP. The host Oregon Ducks narrowly edged Georgia for the team title, compiling 64 points with the Bulldogs right behind at 62.20. With the win, Oregon became the first women's program in NCAA Division I history to earn the triple crown – team titles in cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field in one school year.

In order to score points at the track & field championships, an athlete needs to earn an All-American finish, placing in the top eight of the finals of their respective event. The champion is awarded 10 team points, with the next seven finishers earning 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 points, respectively.

Along with its first female national title winner in school history, the Dons are coming off a prolific year which includes the 21st place team finish on the track, 12 qualifiers for the NCAA Preliminary Championships (7 women, 5 men), and a school-best sixth place finish by the women at the 2016 NCAA Cross Country Championships.

USF's women return five of the seven competitors that raced for the title in November, including cross country All-American, Taylor. The Dons open the season each year by hosting the San Francisco Invitational in Golden Gate Park on the first weekend of the fall. More information on the 2017 schedule is expected to be available soon on usfdons.com.