2018 NCAA DI Men’s Indoor Track & Field National Rankings – Pre-Championships
NEW ORLEANS – We’re not going to find out the winner of the men’s team title at the 2018 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships until Saturday evening, but the final National Team Rankings can give us a good idea of who will be in the hunt.
Top-ranked Texas Tech has a clear-cut advantage over No. 2 Georgia and No. 3 Florida in the season’s last index that was released Sunday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The Red Raiders own a 28-point lead on the Bulldogs in rankings that only use qualified entries to the NCAA meet.
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Texas Tech has stood on top of the mountain since Week 4 and enters College Station, Texas as the rightful No. 1. The Red Raiders qualified 10 entries for NCAAs, which tied fourth-ranked Arkansas for the most of any men’s program.
What separates Texas Tech from the Razorbacks – and the rest of the nation, for that matter – is the number of top athletes. Trey Culver (high jump) and Divine Oduduru (200) are both ranked No. 1 in their respective events, while Charles Brown sits second in the long jump.
The only other teams with two top-ranked entries are fifth-ranked Southern California and 18th-ranked New Mexico. The Trojans are led by 400-meter stud Michael Norman and the collegiate-record-setting 4×400 relay, while the Lobos have defending mile champ Josh Kerr and the top-seeded distance medley relay.
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NATIONAL PDFs Top TFRRS Qualifiers Rankings History |
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS WHEN: March 9-10 | Schedule Meet Entries: Men | Women USTFCCCA’s Comprehensive Men’s Records: Women’s Records: |
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Georgia brings a wealth of talent to the Lone Star State. The Bulldogs have five entries seeded in the top-5 of their respective events: Denzel Comenentia in the shot put and weight throw, Keenon Laine and Darius Carbin in the high jump and Karl Saluri in the heptathlon.
The Gators have three top-3 entries headlined by collegiate record holder Grant Holloway in the 60 hurdles. Holloway is also on the second-ranked 4×400 relay that turned in the second fastest time in collegiate indoor history earlier this season. Florida is also hoping for big things from KeAndre Bates in the horizontal jumps. Bates is ranked second in the triple jump and 10th in the long jump, but if he somehow wins both, he’d become just the ninth man in NCAA DI history to score 50 or more career points at this meet.
Arkansas, a team that has won 20 team titles over the years needs some help to get back to that level, but a podium finish isn’t out of the question with its depth. The Razorbacks have four top-5 entries: Obi Igbokwe in the 400, Kenzo Cotton in the 60, Cameron Griffith in the 3000 and their 4×400 relay team.
Outside of the top-5 teams, don’t overlook defending champion Texas A&M (ranked sixth), Florida State (ranked seventh) or Alabama (ranked eighth). The Aggies and Seminoles are well-balanced, while the Crimson Tide just won the team title in the SEC, which is no small feat.
Be sure to check back throughout the week as we get you ready for the 2018 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships, which take place March 9-10 in College Station, Texas.
