High Stakes For USTFCCCA Program of the Year Awards
NEW ORLEANS – It’s going to be a busy weekend across the nation.
Down in Bradenton, Florida, the 2017 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be held at the IMG Academy.
Up in Geneva, Ohio, the 2017 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships are being hosted by Mount Union at The SPIRE Institute.
And in Gulf Shores, Alabama, right on the Gulf of Mexico, the 2017 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships are set to get underway as well.
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USTFCCCA Program of the Year Award Central
With so much happening, we felt it would be prudent to provide an update on the USTFCCCA Program of the Year Award. For those who don’t know, the Program of the Year Award was created in 2008 (2015 for NAIA programs) to honor those institutions that achieved the most success in each academic year, which spans cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field – based on finishes at the NCAA or NAIA Championships.
When it comes to the Damon Martin Program of the Year Award, the Adams State Grizzlies are firmly in control. For Adams State to win its 9th consecutive trophy, it must beat Grand Valley State by five places or more in Bradenton, Florida. The Grizzlies were ranked 7th in the most recent National Team Computer Rankings while the Lakers were 10th.
Adams State and Grand Valley State are tied for the lead in the Jerry Baltes Program of the Year Award standings, so whoever finishes higher out of those two teams in Bradenton, Florida, will be crowned champion. The Lakers have history on their side as they’ve won six of the 8 trophies we’ve given out.
The Al Carius Program of the Year Award in NCAA Division III might be coming back home to North Central (Ill.). The Cardinals haven’t won it since 2012, but they are up on UW-La Crosse by 5 points (2.5 to 7.5). If North Central (Ill.) beats the Eagles by five or more places this weekend, the award will be theirs. Conversely, if UW-La Crosse finishes six or more places ahead of the Cardinals, the trophy heads to Wisconsin.
Washington (Mo.) is the favorite to win the Deb Vercauteren Program of the Year Award given out to the top women’s program in NCAA Division III. The Bears finished 2nd in cross country and won the indoor title, which leaves them with 3 points. WashU owned the top spot in the National Team Computer Rankings all season long, so expectations are high. If the Bears stumble, Williams would need to beat them by six or more places to win the trophy.
St. Francis (Ill.) is the leader for the NAIA Men’s Program of the Year Award with 13.5 points. Coming into the national meet, the Saints are ranked 11th and the current runner-up Cornerstone (Mich.) is 15th, which gives them some wiggle room. Don’t count out Indiana Tech, as Doug Edgar’s team is 1st and if the rankings hold, the Warriors would surge ahead of St. Francis (Ill.) and take the trophy once again.
Oklahoma City has the edge in the NAIA Women’s Program of the Year Award standings with 7 points, but Aquinas (Mich.) is close by with 10 and Wayland Baptist (Texas) is within shouting distance with 15. Don’t look now, but Oklahoma City isn’t even ranked in the top-25 of the most recent National Team Computer Rankings and the Pioneers are 1st, so the trophy could head to the Lone Star State for the first time if the cards fall the right way.