Top Five Teams in NAIA Indoor T&F National Team Rankings Hold Steady

NEW ORLEANS – With the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships in Geneva, Ohio, now less than a month away – March 5-7, to be specific – the week three edition of the National Team Computer Rankings saw very little movement near the top.

Released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), the rankings showed no changes among the top five teams for either gender as the women and defending national champion men of Indiana Tech remained No. 1.

Both the Doane (Neb.) men and women remained No. 2 nationally, while the men and women of Wayland Baptist (Texas) held steady at No. 3.

The defending national women’s champion Oklahoma Baptist closed in on Wayland Baptist, but remained No. 4 this week. The Concordia (Neb.) men also remained firmly in that spot.

Rounding out the top five for the men was Oklahoma Baptist, while Conrnerstone (Mich.) closed out the first five for the women.

The first movement of both polls came at No. 6. Olivet Nazare’s (Ill.) men went from outside the top 10 at No. 11 last week to No. 6 this week behind 13 season-best performances, including national No. 2 Zach Gordon at 200 meters and No. 2 Brian Mitchell in the pole vault.

For the women, Concordia (Neb.) nearly joined their men’s teammates as a top-five team, coming up just short after a two-spot increase to No. 6. The Bulldogs were boosted by 10 season-best performances from their student-athletes, including Stephanie Coley at No. 4 and No. 6 nationally in the shot put and weight throw, respectively.

Making the biggest move of either genders’ polls were the men of Goshen, who jumped up nine spots from a week ago to join the top 25 at No. 21. The biggest women’s move came from No. 22 College of Idaho, which climbed seven positions from last time.