Indiana Tech Men & Women Headline Inaugural NAIA National Team Computer Rankings

NEW ORLEANS – Both the Indiana Tech men and women captured NAIA Outdoor Track & Field titles in 2013, and both Warriors squads have carried that momentum into 2014 as the top-ranked teams in the inaugural U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NAIA National Team Computer Rankings released Wednesday.

NAIA NATIONAL TEAM COMPUTER RANKINGS TOP 5: WOMEN
1)	2)	3)	4)	5)
Indiana Tech 567.41 pts	Oklahoma Baptist 336.77 pts	Doane 240.83 pts	Cornerstone 232.80 pts	Wayland Baptist 215.95 pts
View Complete Women’s National Team Computer Rankings

The first-ever edition of the National Team Computer Rankings calculated for the NAIA project both of Indiana Tech’s teams as heavy early season favorites to follow up their 2013 outdoor national crowns with 2014 indoor titles.

Using a formula based on how many student-athletes teams have on the 2014 national descending order list for individual and relay events and how highly they are ranked, the Indiana Tech women are substantial favorites over defending indoor national champion No. 2 Oklahoma Baptist.

Indiana Tech, with an impressive 30 performances ranked among the top-10 in their respective events and the national lead in four events, registered a rankings score of 567.41 to Oklahoma Baptist’s 336.77.

The highest-ranked individuals or relay teams for each event are assigned the most points, and the point values decrease further down the descending order list. Team scores are equal to the sum of all the point-earning student-athletes’ scores across all events for a given team.

Rankings points do not equate with NAIA Championships team points.

The Warriors were runners-up to Oklahoma Baptist in 2013, while Oklahoma Baptist has claimed three of the past four national indoor titles. The lone non-championship season since 2010 came in 2012 with a runner-up finish to Azusa Pacific (Calif.).

Rounding out the women’s top five were No. 3 Doane (240.83), No. 4 Cornerstone (232.80) and No. 5 Wayland Baptist (215.95).

NAIA NATIONAL TEAM COMPUTER RANKINGS TOP 5: MEN
1)	2)	3)	4)	5)
Indiana Tech 368.73 pts	Siena Heights 281.95 pts	Wayland Baptist 258.85 pts	Oklahoma Baptist 238.99 pts	Concordia (Neb.) 158.75 pts
View Complete Men’s National Team Computer Rankings

Though not as significantly favored, the men of Indiana Tech have a sizeable gap between itself and No. 2 Siena Heights. The Warriors’ rankings score of 368.73 – boosted by 22 performances among the NAIA’s top-10 in their respective events and top-ranked John Broaden at 200 meters – is nearly 90 points clear of No. 2 Siena Heights’ 281.95.

The defending indoor men’s champion Oklahoma Baptist (238.99) checked in at No. 4, just behind 2012 NAIA indoor champion Wayland Baptist (258.85) at No. 3, and just ahead of Concordia (Neb.) (158.75) at No. 5.

Wayland Baptist’s men, in addition to their 2012 title, have finished runner-up at the NAIA Indoor Championships in three of the past four seasons.

The purpose and methodology of the rankings is to create an index that showcases the teams that have the best potential of achieving the top spots in the national team race. A full description of the rankings can be found here.

Qualification for the NAIA Championships will not be determined in any way by these rankings, which are not officially sanctioned or endorsed by the NAIA for the 2014 season. These rankings are supported by the NAIA from the standpoint of media and entertainment purposes only.

The USTFCCCA National Team Computer Rankings should not be referred to as a “poll” as no voting occurs during the process.