2017 NCAA DI Men’s Outdoor Team Rankings – Week 2

NOTE: Only USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for rankings. Please check your membership status HERE.

NEW ORLEANS – We’re less than two months away from the start of the 2017 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships and the rankings as they pertain to the race for the men’s team title are starting to take shape.

Only six teams remained in place between Week 1 and Week 2 – No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Texas A&M, No. 3 Oregon, No. 4 Alabama, No. 13 Stanford and No. 22 Syracuse. That means 19 teams shifted spots in the Week 2 rankings that were released Monday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Georgia jumped back inside the top-5 thanks to the efforts of Devon Williams in the decathlon. One week after Texas A&M senior Lindon Victor broke the collegiate record in the event, Williams posted the 8th best score in collegiate history with his total of 8345 this past weekend at the Spec Towns Invitational. Williams also became the 6th best performer all-time.

Virginia vaulted from No. 9 to No. 7 after Oghenakpobo Efekoro registered a huge throw in the shot put this past weekend. Efekoro launched the orb 20.39m (66-10¾) and moved up into 2nd place in the USTFCCCA Event Rankings, which combine the current season and recent past seasons until enough data can be collected from the current season only.

Kansas is 12th this week and matched its best ranking in program history. The Jayhawks were 12th back in Week 1 of 2011, but hadn’t reached this apex since then. Two of the biggest reasons for Kansas’ success to date is the performance of Jake Albright and Hussain Alhizam in the pole vault (Alhizam just tied Albright’s mark this past weekend) and Gleb Dudarev in the hammer throw. Albright and Alhizam are both ranked 5th in the pole vault, while Dudarev is billed 2nd in the USTFCCCA Event Rankings in the hammer throw.

Kentucky is back in the top-25 following a strong effort at the Spec Towns Invitational. NCAA indoor heptathlon runner-up Tim Duckworth opened his multi season with a score of 7973 in Athens, Georgia, and is 5th on the USTFCCCA Event Rankings in the decathlon.

There should be some big movement next week in the rankings, mainly because of the Mt. SAC Relays which are held this upcoming weekend in Torrance, California.

Be sure to check back on USTFCCCA.org as we bring you the team rankings and much more as the outdoor season continues. Then make sure to pay attention to what happens in Eugene, Oregon from June 7-10 at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.