2020 NCAA DIII Men’s Indoor Track & Field Rating Index – Week 2
NEW ORLEANS – It’s business as usual in the NCAA Division III Men’s Indoor Track & Field National Rating Index.
That means the top teams continue to prove why they’re at the top, so there weren’t too many changes to the top-5 when the most recent installment was released on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
NCAA Division III — Men's Indoor Track & Field
This Week's National Top Five
1
UW-La Crosse
UW-La Crosse
2
UW-Oshkosh
UW-Oshkosh
3
Mount Union
Mount Union
4
Loras
Loras
5
MIT
MIT
All TFRI Reports
UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, Mount Union and Loras remained in their respective spots after a busy weekend of collegiate indoor track & field. The Eagles are No. 1 for the third week in a row, while the Titans hold down the No. 2 spot and the Purple Raiders and Duhawks come in at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.
Seth Holden actually helped UW-La Crosse strengthen its spot atop the rankings thanks to his effort this past weekend at the Leonard “Squig” Converse Invitational & Multi. Holden went 22.19 in the 200 to take over the No. 2 spot on the Descending Order List. If it weren’t for Tyler Hansen of Ithaca the next day, Holden would have been No. 1 on the chart.
Mount Union saw tremendous efforts from its 4×400 relay team and the hurdling duo of Connor Troyer and Mason Plant to help its cause. The Purple Raiders went 3:14.84 in the former, which was up-converted to 3:17.96 for being on a banked track, but that still is a national leader. Then it was earlier in the meet when Troyer and Plant turned an epic finish in the 60 Hurdles into the No. 2 and No. 3 spots on the Descending Order List. Troyer edged Plant at the line by 0.01 seconds (8.05 to 8.06), a near callback to them tying at NCAAs last year.
The Duhawks bolstered their position among the nation’s best with a solid effort in the 4×400 at the Titan Open. Loras’ quartet got the baton around in 3:19.39, which puts them third on the Descending Order List behind aforementioned Mount Union (3:17.96) and Rowan (3:19.14).
MIT enters the top-5 for the first time this season at No. 5. The Engineers currently have five marks listed among the national top-10, including the second-best clearance in the high jump of 2.09m (6-10¼) by Alec Reduker and the fourth- and fifth-best efforts in the triple jump from Reduker and indoor-outdoor defending champion Yorai Shaoul.
UW-Eau Claire jumped three spots to No. 6 after a great weekend. The Blugolds were paced by Dylan Cooper in the heptathlon as he became the seventh best performer in NCAA DIII history with his score of 5325 points. Kyler Lueck also moved up to No. 4 on the Descending Order List in the 800 with his time of 1:53.72.
Washington (Mo.) cracked the top-10 for the first time this season at No. 9. The Bears own two of the top-3 times this season in the mile as Nick Matteucci and Jacob Ridderhoff worked well together at the Titan Open. Matteucci captured the national lead with his 4:12.63, while Ridderhoff sits third at 4:14.93.
There were two new additions to the top-25 this week: No. 18 RPI and No. 22 Texas Lutheran. The Engineers had the biggest jump out of any team in the top-25 this week with a 17-spot increase, while the Bulldogs own their second best ranking in the past five years.
Be sure to check back throughout the season as the National Rating Index will continue to shift ahead of the 2020 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships on March 13-14 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
