2017 NCAA DI Men’s Outdoor Team Rankings – Week 1

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

NEW ORLEANS – It’s time to update the NCAA Division I Men’s Outdoor Track & Field National Team Computer Rankings and it’s only right to do so after a huge weekend.

We saw incredible action at the Florida Relays, Stanford Invitational and at the Texas Relays and because of that, there was a lot of movement to the rankings that were released Monday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Nothing changed at the top of the rankings as Florida still holds the top spot and actually strengthened its positioning. The Gators gained 15.89 points this week – nearly putting them above the 300-point barrier (298.86) – thanks to the efforts of their 4×100 relay team (now 4th in the USTFCCCA Event Rankings at 38.73) and freshman Clayton Brown, who opened the outdoor season with a clearance of 2.21m (7-3) in the high jump and is 5th in the rankings.

Texas A&M jumped two spots from No. 4 to No. 2 behind a pair of amazing performances at the Texas Relays. For starters, Lindon Victor broke the 11-year-old collegiate record in the decathlon. Victor totaled 8472 points over two days and took down Trey Hardee’s former mark. Secondly, Ioannis Kyriazis notched the 2nd farthest throw in collegiate history in the javelin. Kyriazis heaved the implement 88.01m (288-9) on his first attempt and is now only the second collegian to eclipse the 88-meter threshold.

Alabama found its way into the top-5 for the first time in program history. The Crimson Tide vaulted four spots and settled in right behind 3rd-ranked Oregon. Alfred Chelanga and Antibahs Kosgei led Alabama’s charge this past weekend as they ran top times in the 10000 at the Stanford Invitational. Chelanga is ranked No. 1 in the USTFCCCA Event Rankings with his effort of 28:04.95 and Kosgei isn’t too far behind in 6th at 28:35.79. Steven Gayle and Elias Hakansson also chipped in through their efforts in the 400 and hammer throw, respectively.

Georgia surged three spots from No. 9 to No. 6 and took up residence behind 5th-ranked SEC foe Arkansas. The Bulldogs were led by Denzel Comenentia (5th, 71.22m/233-8) and Alex Poursanidis (6th, 71.20m/233-7) in the hammer throw.

Other big movers from the Preseason to Week 1 included UCLA (No. 18 to No. 12), South Carolina (No. 25 to No. 19), Baylor (No. 28 to No. 20) and Colorado State (No. 62 to No. 21). This is the Bruins’ best ranking since 2013 and the Rams’ best ranking in program history.

Let’s take a look at what pushed Colorado State so much this week. That would be the efforts of its distance standouts – Jerrell Mock and Jefferson Abbey. Mock is now ranked 3rd in the USTFCCCA Event Rankings in the 10000 after his run at the Stanford Invitational (28:11.80) and Abbey moved up to 8th on the 5000 chart with his time of 13:37.23.

If you thought this past weekend shook up the USTFCCCA National Team Computer Rankings a lot, just wait for the rest of the season as we hit the Mt. SAC Relays, Kansas Relays and Penn Relays in the next few weeks.

Those will pale in comparison to what we could see at the 2017 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships come June 7-10 in Eugene, Oregon.

Noteworthy: 11 of the teams in the top-25 are from the SEC … There were three new additions to the top-25: Baylor, Colorado State and Louisville … BYU posted the largest Regional Index score of the week as it totaled 1062.55 points to lead the Mountain Region.