2018 NCAA DI Men’s Indoor Track & Field National Rankings – Week 6

NEW ORLEANS – The cream of the crop in the NCAA Division I Men’s Indoor Track & Field National Team Rankings held their own over Conference Championship Weekend.

Texas Tech, Florida, Arkansas, Southern California and Georgia still take up residence in the top-5 in the order in which they’re listed. All five teams actually lost ground on the rest of the nation in the most recent rankings that were released Monday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), but owned such a distinct advantage that they weren’t replaced in the top-5.

NCAA Division I National Team Computer Rankings – Men 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Texas Tech Florida Arkansas Southern California Georgia

Click Here for the National Summary (PDF)

Texas A&M – the host of the 2018 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships from March 9-10 – moved up one spot from No. 7 to No. 6 thanks to several sterling performances at the SEC Indoor Championships. The Aggies saw their 4×400 relay team rip off the third fastest time in collegiate history (3:02.35) and Will Williams capture the SEC long jump title with a mark of 7.99m (26-2¼).

Virginia Tech and Ohio State were two of the biggest gainers from Week 5 to Week 6.

The Hokies soared from No. 17 to No. 9, which is the third time in the past four years that they have been ranked this high, this late in the season. Virginia Tech features three men ranked in the top-10 of the mile (Vincent Ciattei, Patrick Joseph and Neil Gourley) and two in the top-10 of the 800 (Gourley and Joseph) as well as a strong DMR and two talented vaulters (Deakin Volz and Torben Laidig).

The Buckeyes, fresh off a conference title in the Big Ten, jumped nine spots from No. 19 to No. 10 – its best ranking since 2012. Ohio State has three athletes ranked in the top-5 of their respective events: Zack Bazile (No. 1 in the long jump), Nick Gray (No. 2 in the 200) and Nicholas DeMaline (No. 5 in the shot put). Both Gray and DeMaline recorded their top-5 marks at the Big Ten Indoor Championships.

South Carolina is up to No. 15, its best ranking since 2010. The Gamecocks already had Ncincilili Titi ranked in the top-3 of the 200, but were pushed ahead by Josh Awotund, who became the 10th best performer in collegiate indoor history in the shot put with his heave of 21.33m (69-11¾).  

Further down you’ll find Clemson at No. 19, New Mexico at No. 20 and Utah State at No. 22. This is a banner day for both the Aggies and Lobos as this is the best ranking in program history for both. The Tigers, however, haven’t been ranked this high since 2013.

NOTE: This is the first time this season that the rankings are tabulated using data from only this season, including combined events. Prior to this week, previous season data had been used when it came to combined events only. It should also be mentioned that next week’s rankings will change as only declared and accepted entries to NCAAs will be scored. Finally, these are the final regional and #EventSquad rankings of the season.