2022 NAIA Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Rating Index – Week 6
NEW ORLEANS – As the calendar turns to May and conference championships start to dominate the schedule, the complexion of the postseason starts to take shape. In the sixth release of the USTFCCCA’s NAIA Men’s Outdoor Track & Field National Rating Index (TFRI), the British Columbia Thunderbirds continue to lead the way while national indoor runner-up Indiana Tech made a three-spot jump to land in the current top three.
NAIA — Men's Outdoor Track & Field
This Week's National Top Five
1
British Columbia
British Columbia
2
Southeastern (Fla.)
Southeastern (Fla.)
3
Indiana Tech
Indiana Tech
4
The Master's (Calif.)
The Master's (Calif.)
5
Saint Mary (Kan.)
Saint Mary (Kan.)
All TFRI Reports
British Columbia has “held court” for the fifth-straight week atop the national rankings. Last weekend, attending Western Washington’s Ralph Vernacchia Invitational, the Thunderbirds improved five marks, and, more importantly, still hold the NAIA’s top spots in the hammer (Rowan Hamilton), steeplechase (Dylan Urich), and 5000 meters (Tyler Dozzi). Hamilton’s winning mark from Mt. SAC Relays of 73.66m (241-8) remains the overall collegiate leader for the season.
The Fire of Southeastern (Fla.) stays at No. 2 for the fifth-straight week, within eyeshot of the cross-continent foe. Recovering from winning The Sun Conferene title a week ago, the Fire competed at the UNF Invitational. The headliner, Joseph Taylor, improved his 400 meter season best to 46.98 which is now in the NAIA’s top five. Taylor is also in the division’s top five in the 100 (4th, 10.36w) and 200 (20.86w).
No. 3 Indiana Tech took on the Penn Relays last weekend and jumped three spots in the TFRI as a result. Running 40-flat in the 4×100, they took over the division lead in the event. Anchor Zayquan Lincoln remains the NAIA leader in the 100 as well (10.17w). Current division No. 2 in the 400 meters, Daunte O’Bannion (46.16), led off the Warriors’ 4×4 at the Penn Relays that clocked 3:09.32, improving their season’s best and No. 2 national seed by over two seconds.
At No. 4, The Master’s (Calif.) placed runner-up this past weekend at the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) Championships to Arizona Christian. Despite that, the TFRI algorithm can’t ignore seven national top-10 marks that will position them well in the national-championship team race.
Saint Mary’s (Kan.) remains in the top five.
Jumping nine spots, No. 8 William Carey (Miss.) returns to the top ten. At the Mississippi College Twilight, Ledanian Rowell added a foot to his season best in the long jump and 18 inches to his season best in the triple jump. His triple jump from the past weekend of 14.69m/48-2½ puts him No. 7 among the division this year.
Just three weeks until the start of the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships that will be held in Gulf Shores, Ala., May 25-27.
