SEC Still Dominates NCAA DI Men’s ITF Rankings In Week 6

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

NEW ORLEANS — Remember last week when the rest of the men’s teams in the top-25 of the NCAA Division I National Team Computer Rankings were gaining on top-ranked Florida?

Well, a lot can change in seven days.

Despite finishing a distant 3rd to eventual champion Arkansas and runner-up Alabama at the SEC Indoor Track & Field Championships, the Gators increased their lead in the most recent rankings that were released Monday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Florida pushed its lead up to 44.85 points, which shrank to 8.6 points last week.

We should mention head-to-head team matchups don’t matter much when it comes to the National Team Computer Rankings, which is why the Gators remained on top. Head-to-head individual matchups on the national landscape matter most to the rankings, as do where athletes are ranked on the NCAA DI Descending Order List.

Florida has three athletes ranked in the top-5, each in multiple events: KeAndre Bates (long jump, triple jump), Clayton Brown (high jump, triple jump) and Grant Holloway (60 hurdles, long jump). The Gators also duked it out with Texas A&M this past weekend in the 4×400 at the SEC Indoor Championships and finished 2nd (moving up to 2nd on the NCAA DI DOL as well).

Not much changed in the top-5 behind Florida as Arkansas is still No. 2, followed by No. 3 Oregon. No. 4 Texas A&M and No. 5 Georgia swapped spots from last week.

The biggest gainer of the week was Virginia Tech. The Hokies went from No. 21 last week to No. 7 this week – their best ranking of the season. Virginia Tech has a tough hill to climb to match its best ranking in program history (3rd in Week 3 of 2016).

This past weekend at the ACC Indoor Championships, the Hokies saw a bunch of athletes excel, namely Patrick Joseph and Drew Piazza. Joseph and Piazza went 1-2 in the 800 and moved up to 2nd and a tie for 4th on the NCAA DI DOL, respectively.

Several teams also jumped five or more spots this past week.

Texas went from No. 14 to No. 9 after Senoj-Jay Givans reminded people of his speed and is tied with five other men for 3rd on the NCAA DI DOL over 60 meters.

Southern California went from No. 17 to No. 10 thanks to Randall Cunningham surging to the top of the NCAA DI DOL in the high jump (2.27m/7-5¼).

Houston continued to climb up the rankings and came in at No. 16. That set a high-water mark for the program, eclipsing its old record set during the 2015 Preseason (18th). Cameron Burrell helped that happen as he is now tied for 3rd on the NCAA DI DOL in the 60 (6.59).

Michigan jumped from No. 28 to No. 21. The Wolverines are trending in the right direction after tumbling from No. 19 to No. 28 in a span of three weeks.

We’ll see many of these teams and athletes come March 10-11 at the 2017 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships in College Station, Texas.