NJCAA ITF Rankings Made Their 2017 Debut

NEW ORLEANS — The National Team Computer Rankings don’t see the balance of power shifting too much inside the ranks of NJCAA Indoor Track & Field.

Both the Iowa Central men and women enter the 2017 season as odds-on favorites in the first rankings released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The Tritons swept the NJCAA team titles last year in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

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

We’ll look at the men’s rankings first, where Iowa Central holds a commanding lead. The Tritons own a 570.21 to 305.61 advantage over 2nd-ranked Barton (Kan.) CC.

Right now Iowa Central has 14 athletes or relay teams ranked in the top-2 according to the USTFCCCA Individual Rankings. That includes six top-ranked marks.

Event rankings are used to determine team scores. Only marks from the current season are used in NJCAA rankings and the closer an athlete is to the top of his or her event, the more points he or she earns toward the team total. Points from all applicable athletes are added up to determine the total team score.

Settling in behind Barton CC is South Plains (Texas), a team that finished 2nd at NJCAAs last year. The Texans have three top-ranked marks in the NJCAA this season.

Cloud County (Kan.) CC made a major move in the rankings. The Thunderbirds finished 20th last year and vaulted all the way to No. 4 to begin the 2017 season. Cloud County CC is helped by the top-ranked DMR team and four other marks in the top-3 of certain individual events.

The top-10 in the men’s rankings is rounded out by No. 5 Butler (Kan.) CC, No. 6 Iowa Western CC, No. 7 Hinds (Miss.) CC, No. 8 Monroe (N.Y.), No. 9 Coffeyville (Kan.) CC and No. 10 Meridian (Miss.) CC.

Over in the women’s rankings, Iowa Central holds a 317.56 to 306.44 lead over No. 2 Barton CC. Both have six athlete or relays ranked in the top-2 of the descending order list, but the Tritons have more top-ranked athletes, which leads to more points.

The third-ranked women’s team is New Mexico JC, down one spot from its 2nd-place finish at NJCAAs last year. The Thunderbirds are closer to 2nd with their total of 270.75 than they are to 4th, which is occupied by Iowa Western CC at 218.19 points.

Some of the usual suspects fill out the top-10 in the women’s rankings: No. 5 South Plains, No. 6 Monroe (N.Y.), No. 7 Vincennes (Ind.), No. 8 Coffeyville CC, No. 9 Cowley County (Kan.) CC and No. 10 Western Texas. It should be noted that Cowley County CC jumped 15 spots from last year (No. 24 to No. 9).

The 2017 NJCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships will be held March 3-4 in Pittsburg, Kansas on the campus of Pittsburg State University.