RALEIGH — The Shaw University women’s basketball team moved up three spots for a tie at ninth place in this week’s USA Today Sports Top 25 Poll.

The Bears are 17-2 (8-1 CIAA) and have won their past nine games. Shaw is tied with Washburn (Kan.) for the ninth spot.

Ashland – the team Shaw beat to win the national championship – maintained its firm grip on the top spot in the poll, garnering all 31 first-place votes. The Eagles have won all 21 games they’ve played this season.

The Bears will continue CIAA Southern Division play when they host Fayetteville State on Wednesday night. Tipoff is 6 p.m.

Diving

Duke: Junior Nick McCrory was named the ACC Male Diver of the Week for the second time this season.

McCrory paced the Blue Devils’ diving corps in last Saturday’s regular season dual meet finale at North Carolina, sweeping the men’s 1-meter and 3-meter springboard competitions. The Chapel Hill native posted season highs and NCAA Zone Diving Championship qualifying marks in both events, garnering a score of 404.70 on the 1-meter board and a score of 416.25 at the 3-meter height.

McCrory and the Duke divers return to action Feb. 20-23 at the ACC Championships in Greensboro, N.C.

Track

Eastern Carolina: Senior jumper Tynita Butts collected her first career Conference USA Indoor Athlete of the Week honor after an outstanding performance at the Penn State National over the weekend.

Butts recorded the second-best mark in the nation, set an East Carolina school record, as well as a new meet and facility record in the women’s high jump with a mark of 6-02.75 (1.90m).

St. Augustine’s: Junior Dane Hyatt catapulted to the top spot nationally in the 200 dash after running a time of 21.25 at the Penn State National Invitational this past weekend. The 2012 Olympian is also atop the 400 dash rankings with a time of 47.17. The 2012 Jamaican champion in the 400, Hyatt heads the top-ranked 4x400 relay team which includes junior Joshua Edmonds, junior James Quarles and freshman Burkheart Ellis, Jr., who is from Raleigh. The foursome ran a time of 3:09.46 at the Penn State meet.