NAIA ITF Rankings Take Shape With One Weekend Before National Championships

NOTE: Only USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for rankings. Please check your membership status HERE.

NEW ORLEANS — With the NAIA National Indoor Track and Field Championships on the horizon, the men’s and women’s National Team Computer Rankings, as released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Wednesday, things are starting to settle down as just one new team cracked the top-10 from a week ago.

Lindsey Wilson’s (Ky.) men’s squad made a 63-spot jump into 10th place after competing at the Rick Meindl Last Call Invite and the Lindsey Wilson Last Chance Meet this past weekend. The Blue Raiders saw Kevin Hallmon and DeQuan Robinson run wild in both the 60 meters and 200 meters, as both recorded top-10 finishes in the NAIA on the year in both events. Additionally, Khari Saunders ran a top-10 NAIA mark in the 60 meters, while Anthony Thompson recorded the 8th-best long jump mark in the NAIA on the year.

Other than the Blue Raiders dramatic climb, the remainder of the men’s top-10 remained virtually intact, while the women’s side of the NAIA rankings saw minor jockeying within the top-10.

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

More Info NAIA Rankings Central
NATIONAL PDFs Top 25 | By Team | By Event Top TFRRS Qualifiers # of Top-10 Athletes by Team Rankings History This Season By Rank | All-Time	REGIONAL PDFs Top 10 | By Team | By Event #EventSquad Rankings Top-16 Summary Full Reports: By Team | By Event

Fresh off capturing the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference titles, Indiana Tech continued to hold down the No. 1 ranking on both the men’s and women’s side. Doane (Neb.), Wayland Baptist (Texas) and Concordia (Neb.) also stayed put in 2nd, 3rd and 4th, respectively, in the men’s rankings. However, St. Francis (Ill.) continued its historic campaign, as the Fighting Saints’ men’s squad came in at a program-best 5th place in the rankings after claiming the inaugural Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference indoor title. Two 1,000 meter runners in Brian Blaylock and Cam Knudsen laid claim to top-10 marks in the NAIA on the weekend at the meet.

Cornerstone (Mich.) also jumped two spots to 6th place, tying a program-best ranking, while Cardinal Stritch (Wis.), Siena Heights (Mich.), and Marian (Ind.) rounded out the top-10 in the men’s rankings.

Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) came in second to St. Francis (Ill.) at the CCAC Indoor Track and Field Championships, but that was good enough to propel them into the top-25 for the first time on the season. Sophomore distance runner Jeremy Brassard ran the fastest time in NAIA in the 1,000 meters on the year at the meet, finishing with a time of 2:27.09.

There was some shuffling in the women’s top-10, although it involved teams who were all in the top-10 last week. Wayland Baptist (Texas) moved up to a program all-time best 2nd place, and Hastings (Neb.) rose to 4th after falling to 7th a week ago.

Carroll (Mont.) (3rd), Doane (Neb.) (5th), Siena Heights (Mich.) (6th) and Aquinas (Mich.) (7th) all dropped one spot from last week, while Friends (Kan.), Concordia (Neb.) and Oklahoma City remained in the 8-10 spots in the rankings from last week.

Three women’s teams in Taylor (Ind.), Saint Xavier (Ill.) and Biola (Calif.) made significant leaps from last week to this week. Saint Xavier (Ill.) jumped 50 spots to 22nd for the program’s highest ranking in history, while Biola (Calif.) returned to the top-25 after dropping to 36th a week ago.

Indiana Wesleyan also snuck into the poll on the women’s side, jumping up one spot to 25th from last week. The last time the Wildcats were in the top-25 came during the final week of the 2015 season.

There is just one weekend between now and the 2017 NAIA Track & Field Indoor Championships, as they will be held March 2-4 on the campus of East Tennessee State University. Be sure to check www.USTFCCCA.org for updates on the rankings throughout the season.

Men’s #EventSquad Leaders (Best Foursome in the Country By Event)

Women’s #EventSquad Leaders (Best Foursome in the Country By Event)