Another Week, Another New NCAA DI No. 1 Men’s Squad

NEW ORLEANS – With the third edition of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field National Team Computer Rankings came the third new No. 1 team in the land.

NCAA Division I National Team Rankings Top 5 – Men 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Texas A&M Florida Oregon Texas LSU 277.10 pts 258.19 pts 250.68 pts 211.56 pts 193.74 pts View Complete Men’s National Team Computer Rankings

Following a strong weekend at the Arizona State Sun Angel Classic, the Texas A&M men took over atop the rankings announced Monday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Former top-ranked squads No. 2 Florida and two-time defending national champion No. 3 Oregon both dropped one spot as a result of the Aggies’ jump from No. 3 to the top of the hill. The three-way race at the top remains close, with Texas A&M checking in at 277.10 to the Gators’ 258.19 and the Ducks’ 250.68.

No. 4 Texas (211.56) and No. 5 LSU (193.73) held steady to round out the top five, just barely holding off No. 6 Virginia (192.89).

The Aggies got a big performance in the Sun Angel 400 meters from Fred Kerley, who ran 45.10 for the 2016 collegiate leader and No. 2 on the USTFCCCA List.

The USTFCCCA List takes into account both this season’s top performances and the best efforts from past seasons by returners to better predict what could happen at the end of the season. Preseason marks are removed for the Week Four rankings.

A&M also benefited from a strong weekend by Devin Jenkins at both 200 meters (No. 10 on the USTFCCCA List) and 100 meters (No. 17), as well as 400-meter hurdler Robert Grant, who moved up to No. 7.

All told, Texas A&M improved 45.41 points from last week for the biggest points-shift of any top-25 team for either gender.

Next on that list was No. 8 Georgia (166.94), which improved three spots from last week with a 36.38-point gain. The Bulldogs excelled in the decathlon this weekend as Karl Saluri and Devon Williams scored 8108 and 7928 points, respectively, for the No. 3 and No. 5 spots on the USTFCCCA list. They join two-time defending national champion teammate No. 1 Maicel Uibo near the top of the USTFCCCA decathlon list.

In terms of spots gained, no top-25 team made a bigger move than No. 23 Washington, which jumped seven spots from last time.

The National Team Computer Rankings are complied by a mathematical formula based on national descending order lists. 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. Preseason marks will be included through week three of the rankings.

A full description of the rankings can be found here.