2022 NCAA DII Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Rating Index – Week 1

NEW ORLEANS – And we’re back!

Here is the first installment of the 2022 NCAA Division II Men’s Outdoor Track & Field National Rating Index released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday. Only marks from the current season are being used, which gives a comprehensive, objective look at which teams have stood out in the early goings.

NCAA Division II — Men's Outdoor Track & Field

This Week's National Top Five

1
Grand Valley State

2
West Texas A&M

3
CSU Pueblo

4
Texas A&M-Commerce

5
Pittsburg State

All TFRI Reports

NATIONAL TFRI
PDFs: Team Detail | Event Detail

REGIONAL TFRI
PDFs: Team Summary | Event Summary

Defending champion Grand Valley State will debut the season at No. 1. The Lakers came out swinging the first few weeks of the season as they hauled in 16 national top-10 marks across 12 different events. Two of Grand Valley State’s athletes top the Descending Order List: Caleb Futter in the steeplechase (8:49.16); Isaac Harding in the 10,000 (28:25.98) to become the No. 9 performer in DII history. Other top-5 performers for Grand Valley State are Jackson Blanchard in the 400H (No. 2), Tanner Chada in the 10,000 (No. 3), Myles Kerner in the shot put (No. 4) and Hunter Harding in the hammer throw (No. 2). The Lakers also have a pair of highly-ranked relays.

West Texas A&M finds itself at No. 2 to begin the season. The Buffs have 12 national top-10 marks, including four national leaders. No one has been better than Benjamin Azamati, who clocked the fourth-fastest time in collegiate history in the 100 meters of 9.90 at the Texas Relays, also shattering his own NCAA DII record. Bassem Hemeida is also the national leader in the 400H at 51.46, while the Buffs’ 4×100 and 4×400 relays hold the nation’s quickest times.

CSU Pueblo is ranked No. 3 in Week 1. The Thunder Wolves have 11 national top-10 marks, including two national leaders in Reece Sharman-Newell in the 800 (1:46.59c/1:47.16A) and Justin Jenks in the shot put (19.18m/62-11¼). Sharman-Newell is one of three athletes ranked among the top-10 in the 800, alongside Kaleb Tipton at No. 6 and Nathan Hood at No. 9. Sharman-Newell is also ranked second in the 1500. In the shot put, Nathaniel Miller is ranked No. 2 to give the Thunder Wolves a sweep of the top-2 spots, while Tyrell Smith has a trio of top-10 performances in the 400 (No. 5), 200 (No. 6) and 100 (No. 10).

Texas A&M-Commerce will start the season at No. 4. The Lions may only have eight national top-10 marks, but they come with some punch. Two of those efforts are national-leading performances from Ushan Perea in the high jump (2.27m/7-5¼) and Elmar Schutte in the pole vault (5.35m/17-6½). The Lions hold five additional marks on the Descending Order List that sit among the top-5 in their respective events, including two in the 100 and the second-ranked 4×100 relay.

Pittsburg State rounds out the top-5 in Week 1. The Gorillas have nine national top-10 marks, including a pair of national leading performances from Louis Rollins in the 110H (13.85w) and Mason Strader in the 1500 (3:42.55c/3:47.33A). You’ll also find Strader ranked fourth in the 800. No athlete on the team has more top-10 marks than Konner Swenson, who is ranked in the shot put, discus and hammer throw.

Here are the rest of the top-10 teams in Week 1: No. 6 UC-Colorado Springs, No. 7 Lee (Tenn.), No. 8 Harding, No. 9 Adams State and No. 10 Southern Connecticut.

Mark your calendars for May 26-28, because that’s when the 2022 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be held at Grand Valley State in Allendale, Michigan!