Indiana Tech Teams Take Top Billing Into NAIA Championships

NEW ORLEANS — Curious as to why Indiana Tech has both the top-ranked men’s and women’s team in the pre-championship edition of the NAIA National Team Computer Rankings?

Look no further than the number of entries to this weekend’s championship meet that will be held in Gulf Shores, Alabama from May 26-28.

QUICK LINKS: Men’s Rankings | Women’s Rankings

The Warrior men have 31 bids to The Big Dance, compared to 16 for the second-ranked team from Wiley (Texas). And while the Wildcats are ranked second, they don’t have the second most entries: That distinction belongs to third-ranked Concordia (Neb.) and fourth-ranked Doane (Neb.), as both teams have 21.

It’s easy to see why Indiana Tech would hold such a commanding lead in the rankings. After all, the Warriors are up by 353.91 points over Wiley (Texas). The difference between the Wildcats and Bulldogs, however, is less than one point (0.98).

The advantage isn’t as clear-cut for Indiana Tech’s women, but the team will bring 24 entries with them to The Yellowhammer State. Here’s the staggering number: Of those 24 entries, 14 come from sprints and hurdles.

Sitting in second behind the Warriors is Concordia (Neb.). The Bulldogs are going to rely heavily on their throwers as 17 of their 21 entries come in those events.

Siena Heights (Mich.) is third in the rankings and has 17 entries this weekend. Fourth-ranked Doane (Neb.) is the third women’s team with 20 or more (Indiana Tech and Concordia (Neb.) are the others). Southern-New Orleans (La.) rounds out the top-5.

From an overall standpoint, here are the most entrants per event group by teams.

Starting with the men: Sprints/hurdles (Wiley (Texas) with 11), mid-distance (Indiana Tech with 4), distance (British Columbia with six), relays (four teams tied with three), jumps (Doane (Neb.) with nine), throws (Concordia (Neb.) with 14), combined events (Doane (Neb.) with five) and Cornerstone (Mich.) has two in the race walk.

For the women: Sprints/hurdles (Indiana Tech with 14), mid-distance (two tied with four), distance (Biola (Calif.) with six), relays (four tied with three), jumps (Doane (Neb.) with six), throws (Concordia (Neb.) with 17), combined events (Doane (Neb.) with three) and two teams have three race walkers each.