The choice of words was, in truth, a poorly written spec. It left way too much room for assumption. My "assumption" was that if there was a 3 way tie for first place, the person(s) in second would not appreciate seeing the number 4 as a ranking since the rank, at that point, is actually 2.
MG
"There are two ways of constructing a software design. One way is to make it so simple that there are obviously no deficiencies. And the other way is to make it so complicated that there are no obvious deficiencies."
Tony Hoare
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair.