Arkansas Men Overtake Topsy-Turvy NCAA DI National Team Rankings

NEW ORLEANS – Which NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field men’s teams have been the best so far in 2015-16?

NCAA Division I National Team Rankings Top 5 – Men 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Florida Tennessee Texas A&M LSU Texas 114.53 pts 107.14 pts 101.36 pts 92.86 pts 90.20 pts View Complete Men’s National Coaches’ Poll

With the regular season largely in the books, the answer to that question came into much sharper focus as previous-season marks were finally removed from the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s National Team Computer Rankings announced Monday morning.

Arkansas, which last won a national team title during the 2013 campaign, stood tallest on the merits of this year’s performances to move up seven spots to No. 1. With 114.53 ranking points the Razorbacks checked in just ahead of SEC rivals No. 2 Tennessee (107.14), No. 3 Texas A&M (101.36) and No. 4 LSU (92.86).

The Volunteers climbed five spots from last week to its highest rank since the 2008 season. Texas A&M fell one spot while LSU remained stationary.

Needless to say, the SEC Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on February 26 & 27 are going to be electric. (It should be noted, however, that these rankings aren’t intended to predict how teams will finish at meets with smaller fields like conference championships, but rather at the NCAA Championships with dozens of teams represented).

It wasn’t all good news for the SEC, however. Preseason potential hasn’t translated to regular-season success as previous No. 1 Florida (62.93) fell all the way to No. 10, giving up more than half of last week’s point total. That’s the farthest a top-ranked team has fallen with the removal of preseason data in the nine-year history of the computer rankings.

Texas (90.20) held steady at No. 5, as did two-time defending national champion Oregon (88.66) at No. 6.

The bottom half of the top-10 was similarly shaken up as No. 7 Texas Tech (77.63) jumped up seven spots, No. 8 Georgia (67.43) climbed two, and No. 9 Southern California (65.84) leapt up eight.

For the newly top-ranked Razorbacks, who occupy that spot for the first time since late in the 2014 season, it’s been depth across the board that have propelled them to the top. No team in the country has more performers ranked in the top-10 nationally in their respective events than Arkansas’ 10 – led by long jump co-leader Jarrion Lawson.

Arkansas has athletes ranked in the top-10 national at 60 meters, 200 meters, 800 meters, and 5000 meters; in the 4×400 and distance medley relays; and in the high jump, long jump and triple jump.

Texas A&M and Oregon are next on that list with seven apiece. Those teams are similarly well-balanced with top-10 entries in seven and six events, respectively.

Tennessee climbed up the leaderboards with a different strategy: power at the top. The Volunteers are matched only by LSU in terms of performers ranked top-three in the nation with four. Sprinter Christian Coleman has been exceptionally strong this season as the collegiate 60-meter leader and the No. 4 man at 200 meters.

It was a historic day for many programs beyond the top-10, as well.

Cross country champion Syracuse moved up 10 spots to a program-best No. 11; No. 13 Southeastern Louisiana jumped up 17 spots to an all-time best; and No. 15 Georgetown climbed 13 positions to a new team-best.

Following Florida in the other direction were former top-10 squads No. 12 Virginia Tech (down nine), No. 19 Washington (down seven) and No. 20 TCU (down 11).