Wayland Baptist Women Take Over the NAIA Team Rankings

NEW ORLEANS – For the second straight week, the Indiana Tech men held on to the No. 1 spot in the men’s NAIA rankings, while the No. 1 Wayland Baptist women ascended to the top spot for the first time.

The NAIA outdoor track & field team computer rankings were released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Wednesday.

The men’s top three remained the same as in week one: No. 2 Oklahoma Baptist and No. 3 Concordia (Ore.) trailed the Warriors. Two new men’s squads joined the top ten this week. No. 7 Southern Oregon jumped sixteen spots, and No. 9 Wiley (Texas) moved up from eleventh in the rankings.

Three men’s teams joined the top twenty-five, including one enormous move. No. 19 Central Methodist (Mo.), No. 20 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho), and No. 25 William Penn (Iowa) all climbed into the rankings. LC State moved up a whopping eighty-four slots! The Warriors did so with a plethora of fast distance performances at San Francisco State.

Wayland Baptist surmounted the the women’s rankings with a combination of great distance and sprint performances, with nationally elite marks from the 100 to the 10k.

The rest of the top six stayed the same, but switched in order. The next five teams in the rankings were No. 2 Indiana Tech, No. 3 Concordia (Neb.), No. 4 Oklahoma Baptist, No. 5 British Columbia, and No. 6 British Columbia. Nos. 3-5 each climbed at spot at the expense of No. 6.

Four teams joined the women’s top twenty-five: No. 11 Carroll (Mont.), No. 15 Missouri Baptist, No. 21 Baker (Kan.), and No. 24 Webber International. Mizzou Baptist made by far the biggest move–the Spartans jumped seventy-seven rungs in the rankings.

The NAIA rankings will be released every Wednesday between now and the May 21-23 national meet in Gulf Shores, Alabama.