Florida Men & Texas Women Seize Control of Division I Outdoor T&F National Team Rankings

NEW ORLEANS – Gone from the Division I National Team Computer Rankings’ formula are preseason marks from the 2013 season in the week four edition released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Gone with them are last week’s top-ranked men’s and women’s teams.

The defending national men’s co-champion Florida Gators reclaimed the top spot on the men’s side after a one-week absence, while the Texas women wrangled the top spot for just the second time in the seven-year history of the USTFCCCA rankings.

Those two moves to the top epitomized the week in the rankings that annually sees the most upheaval with marks from 2014 left to stand on their own in the rankings formula. The lone exception are combined event marks from the previous season, which remain through week five.

Of the top 25 men’s teams, only two remained stationary while the women’s rankings were slightly more stable with 17 of 25 teams shifting positions.

None of the top 10 men’s teams held steady from last week, including a hard fall by last week’s top-ranked Oregon. Summer may be fast approaching, but the Ducks migrated south three spots to No. 4 while new No.1 Florida, defending national co-champion No. 2 Texas A&M and No. 3 Arkansas all stepped up one spot.

Men’s Top Five 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Florida 329.29 pts Texas A&M 291.70 pts Arkansas 211.88 pts Oregon 208.87 pts Georgia 180.98 pts View Complete Men’s Rankings

The Gators (329.29 team rankings score) benefitted from the change with a 10-point improvement to its score, while A&M (291.70) stayed close with a slight five-point loss.

Not surprisingly, Florida also topped the list of top-10 performers and top-three performers with 13 and six, respectively, followed by Texas A&M with 10 and four. A breakdown of top-10 performers by team can be found here.

Arkansas’s team score of 211.88 was down nearly 65 points from last week, but that paled in comparison to Oregon’s 127-point dive – more than a third of its score from last time – to 208.87.

Most notably, Oregon has not yet pushed its distance runners – including three-time NCAA champ and reigning National Athlete of the Week Edward Cheserek – to run their fastest in the races in which they have competed.

Georgia (180.98) moved up a spot to round out the top five.

Two new teams joined the top 10 in No. 6 BYU (172.74) and No. 7 Texas (162.77), which were up 11 and seven spots, respectively. Both No. 8 Alabama (156.38) and No. 9 Texas Tech (138.95) improved one spot after LSU (136.51) dropped two to No. 10.

Women’s Top Five 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Texas 342.58 pts Florida 340.61 pts Texas A&M 318.31 pts Oregon 317.00 pts Georgia 233.38 pts View Complete Women’s Rankings

For the first time since week five of the 2012 season, Texas’ women took over the top position in the USTFCCCA outdoor rankings. The Longhorns (342.58 team rankings score) registered a net six-point improvement to their team rankings score after preseason marks were removed, combined with a collegiate-leading 3:25.05 4×400 relay – good for No. 4 in college history and a new Penn Relays record.

Florida (340.61) remained firmly in the hunt, just two points back after retaining its spot at No. 2.

A constant at No. 1 throughout this 2014 season, Texas A&M (318.31) dropped three positions to No. 3 after a 65-point hit to its team rankings score. The Aggies ended up just ahead of stationary No. 4 Oregon (317.00) after the Ducks saw a 28-point improvement to their score.

Each of those four programs currently have double-digit top-10 performers and five or more ranked in the top three nationally. Texas topped both lists with 13 in the top 10 and six in the top three, respectively, while both Florida and Texas A&M have 12 and five. Oregon has ten and five.

A breakdown of top-10 performers by team can be found here.

Georgia (233.38) held firm at No. 5, as did Kentucky (198.23) at No. 6.

No. 7 LSU (190.38) and No. 8 Southern California (182.52) switched spots from last time, while No. 9 Arkansas (169.66) and No. 10 Florida State (168.05) held firm.

Michigan’s women made the biggest move of this week’s top 25 with a 33-spot jump to No. 20, while No. 24 Georgetown climbed the farthest on the men’s side with a 28-position increase.

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. Rankings points do not equate with NCAA Championships team points. A full description of the rankings can be found here.