Movers and Shakers in First NAIA ITF Rankings of February

NEW ORLEANS — After a little bit of shuffling, the top-5 in both the men’s and women’s NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Team Computer Rankings are identical, at least when it comes to the teams involved.

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The rankings, released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), still have the Indiana Tech men and women as the favorites. The Warrior men are the two-time defending national champions, while the women finished runner-up to Oklahoma Baptist the past three years.

QUICK LINKS: Men’s Rankings | Women’s Rankings

Both Indiana Tech teams are ahead of second-place Doane (Neb.) by more than 70 points. The Tiger women jumped from No. 3 to No. 2 this week, which means the Siena Heights (Mich.) women match the men at No. 3.

Scores in the National Team Computer Rankings were determined by the USTFCCCA computers using preseason event rankings that include the top marks of the recent NAIA indoor track & field seasons by returning student-athletes and the top marks of the young 2016 campaign. Marks from the outdoor season are not included, nor are marks from incoming freshmen until they compete in a collegiate meet.

The closer an athlete is to the top of his or her event rankings, the more points he or she earns toward the team total. Points from all applicable athletes are added up to determine team scores.

The point system used in the rankings is not the same as the scoring system used for the NAIA Championships.

A full breakdown of the national rankings methodology can be found here.

It should also be noted that the USTFCCCA National Team Computer Rankings should not be referenced to as a “poll,” since no voting was conducted.

Just like the top-3, the rest of the top-5 has similar teams but in different spots. Concordia (Neb.) and Wayland Baptist (Texas) both take up residence in the top-5, yet it’s No. 4 and No. 5 in the men’s rankings and No. 5 and No. 4 in the women’s.

The biggest movers in this week’s rankings are both teams from Cornerstone (Mich.). The Golden Eagle men gained 98.62 points and jumped from No. 20 to No. 6, while the women added 75.34 points to their total and jumped from No. 18 to No. 8. Cornerstone’s men were aided in their leap by strong showings by a trio of race walkers (Sam Elmi, Nathan Vanderwall and Isaac Withrow) and heptathlete Deon Fox. The women are guided by Bailey Brogan, Kayla Hunt and Audrey Tremaine.

Elsewhere in the rankings, Oklahoma City‘s teams sky rocketed into the top-25 following a busy week, as did the Hastings (Neb.) men. The Oklahoma City men have a nation-leading DMR team as well as a top 5000 guy in Arya Bahreini, and some of the women are highly ranked, too. For the Hastings men, it comes down to their horizontal jumpers and throwers.

The season is just picking up and these rankings are bound to change before scores are settled in Johnson City, Tennessee from March 2-4 at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships.