Grand Canyon Men, Lincoln (Mo.) Women Named Outdoor Preseason DII Favorites

NEW ORLEANS – The Grand Canyon men and Lincoln (Mo.) women open the outdoor season as favorites to win the NCAA team crowns, according to the preseason edition of the National Team Computer Rankings by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released Tuesday.

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Preseason computer rankings are compiled using performance data from both the current 2013 outdoor season and the 2012 season. Past-season data will be used in conjunction with current data through week three in calculating team scores. The scoring system is explained in more detail here.

Grand Canyon Men Start No. 1 over 2013 Indoor Champ Saint Augustine’s, 2012 Outdoor Champ Adams State

The Antelopes of Grand Canyon have one more shot at a Division II crown before they start the transition to Division I next year, and they start the outdoor season as the narrow favorite to accomplish the task. The indoor champs of a year ago, Grand Canyon opens with a team score of 234.89, while Saint Augustine’s, this season’s indoor winners, start No. 2 with 219.73 team points. Defending outdoor champ Adams State sits in third with 186.58 points.

The Antelopes, who finished 10th at last season’s outdoor championships, boast an impressive 15 student-athletes within the top 10 of the preseason event rankings, which include returners from last season and the top early-season performances of 2013. Junior AAron Hill is the top-ranked long jumper in the division with his 25-9¼ (7.85m) earlier this season, and senior pole vaulter Vince Frawley enters the season No. 1 in his event.

The Falcons of Saint Augustine’s will look to become the first team since Abilene Christian in 2011 to take both the indoor and outdoor titles. The Falcons last accomplished the feat in 2009 and have done it seven times in school history. Between individual and relay events, Saint Augustine’s has 13 top-10 entries on the preseason event rankings, including junior Josh Edmonds, who is the defending champ and ranked No. 1 at 200 meters and No. 2 at 400. Defending 110 hurdles champ Ty’reak Murray also returns.

Last season Adams State became the first team not named Abilene Christian or Saint Augustine’s to claim the team title since Cal Poly in 1981, and the Grizzlies will look to make it a trend with a title defense this season. With distance events as their forte, the Grizzlies enter the outdoor season with 11 student-athletes in the preseason event-by-event top 10, led by sophomore Kevin Batt, the nation’s top returner at both 1500 and 5000 meters. Also among the many returners from the title team is defending 800 champ Boris Berian.

Findlay (133.70) opens at No. 4 – its highest ranking in program history – while Texas A&M-Kingsville (132.65) rounds out the top five.

Lincoln (Mo.) Women Open as Heavy Favorites; Two-Time Defending Champ Grand Valley State Fourth

Lincoln (Mo.) is the early favorite to snap Grand Valley State’s two-year hold on the DII Outdoor team crown, beginning the 2013 campaign with a 70-point lead over the next closest team in the rankings. The Blue Tigers open with a team score of 279.44, followed by Adams State with 206.74. Grand Canyon (No. 3, 176.23) also stands between GVSU and the top spot, as the Lakers enter with a team score of 142.00.

A title for the Blue Tigers would not only break GVSU’s streak, but also be a step toward reclaiming outdoor supremacy that saw them win six titles in a span of seven seasons from 2003-2009, including five straight from 2003-2007. A whopping 16 Blue Tigers appear in the top 10 of the preseason event rankings, including defending champions senior Latoya King at 100 and 200 meters, senior Michelle Cumberbatch in the 400 meter hurdles and junior Nickeisha Beaumont in the long jump.  Of those 16 entries, 11 come in the sprints, relays and hurdles.

Adams State will look to counter Lincoln’s sprints prowess with similar strength in the distance events. The Grizzlies boast 11 top-10 performers, including the top-ranked returners in the 3000 steeplecase (junior Alicia Nelson), the 5000 (defending champ senior Kristen McGlynn) and 10,000 (McGlynn), in addition to the No. 2 runner at 1500 meters in McGlynn. The Grizzlies also have speed of their own in junior Kayon Robinson, the defending champ at 400 meters.

Grand Canyon enters No. 3 with 12 student-athletes in the top 10 in the preseason event rankings. Junior Shavine Hodges is the top returner for the Antelopes with a No. 3 rank at 100 meters and a No. 2 at 200.

Grand Valley State still has an opportunity to take two of the three titles this season dating back to their cross country crown in the fall, but the rankings project a more challenging road to the title for the Lakers than in their past two seasons. Senior thrower Sam Lockhart and junior pole vaulter Kristen Hixson headline the eight top-10 returners for the Lakers; Lockhart is No. 1 in both the shot put and discus, while defending champ Hixson tops the pole vault rankings.

Johnson C. Smith completes the top five at No. 5, tied for its best ranking in program history. The program was also No. 5 in the final ranking of the 2011 season.

Here is a look at how previous preseason favorites have fared: