2023 NAIA Men’s Indoor Track & Field Rating Index – Week 2
NEW ORLEANS – Here is Week 2 of the NAIA Men’s Indoor Track & Field National TFRI, as released on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). No marks from previous seasons have been used, which means this objective list is compiled solely of current qualifying marks from the 2023 indoor track & field season.
The top two held steady from Week 1, but beyond that, not much stayed static.
NAIA — Men's Indoor Track & Field
This Week's National Top Five
1
Southeastern (Fla.)
Southeastern (Fla.)
2
Milligan (Tenn.)
Milligan (Tenn.)
3
Keiser (Fla.)
Keiser (Fla.)
4
Concordia (Neb.)
Concordia (Neb.)
5
Life (Ga.)
Life (Ga.)
All TFRI Reports
Southeastern (Fla.) remains No. 1 as we head deeper into the 2022-23 indoor season. The Fire have 11 individual marks in the top-10 of the NAIA, including James Williamson III, who remains the national leader in both the 60 meters (6.62) and the 200 meters (21.05) after another weekend of competition. Southeastern (Fla.) added another national-leading mark this weekend, with Davonte Vanterpool breaking into the NAIA all-time top-5 with a 7.81 in the 60-meter hurdles. Thrower Kyle Manuel’s mark from the Alachua County Collegiate Invitational put him second in the NAIA at the shot put (17.24m/56-6¾), while Joseph Taylor holds down three top-10 marks in the 60 (6.80), 200 (21.39) and 400 (47.65).
Milligan (Tenn.) also holds onto the No. 2 spot after Week 1 with 10 individual marks in the top-10 of the NAIA. Bryn Woodall continues to dominate the middle and long-distance events, holding top three marks across four events, including the 1000 (2:26.58c), mile (4:10.37), 3000 (8:08.79c), and 5000 (14:23.95). Woodall also features in the Buff’s nation-leading DMR (10:02.94) and the No. 2 4×800 (7:59.62c). Teammates Aaron Jones and Will Stockley join Woodall in the NAIA rankings, with Jones holding three top-10s and Stockley holding two.
Keiser (Fla.) enters Week 2 cracking the top five for the first time this season, with eight top-10 performances on the season powering them to No. 3 spot. A powerful pole-vaulting duo in Emil Carlsson (5.10m/16-8¾) and Tom Paris (4.95m/16-2¾), who rank first and second in the nation, respectively, contributes mightily to the Seahawks’ strength. Melvin Johnson added a pair of top-10 sprint performances this weekend, slotting in at ninth in the 60 (6.80) and fifth in the 200 (21.40).
Concordia (Neb.) slots up one spot to No. 4 after another week of competition thanks to six national top-10 individual marks and a second-ranked DMR (10:10.06). Calvin Rohde, who featured in that DMR, also holds the fifth spot in the nation in the 1000 (2:28.60c) and neared the top-10 in the mile (4:12.88c). A strong pole vault crew for the Bulldogs also contributed, with Zach Bennetts (4.85m/15-11) checking in at fifth in the nation, and Zach Zohner (4.75m/15-7) and Chase Berry (4.75m/15-7) tied for ninth.
Life (Ga.) rounds out the top five in the Week 2 TFRI, dropping two spots from last week. The Running Eagles feature five national top-10 performances, highlighted by Jacob Ulrich’s nation-leading performances in both the 400 (47.33) and 600 (1:17.13). Ulrich was also a member of Life’s nation-leading 4×400, which set a mark of 3:12.59 earlier in January. Joshua Wagner also holds two top-10 performances, standing at fifth in the mile (4:11.06) and seventh in the 5000 (14:41.12). William Jones holds the last top-10 mark for the Running Eagles, a 7.28m (23-10¾) effort in the long jump to put him third in the nation.
Here are the rest of the top-10 teams in Week 2: No. 6 Indiana Tech, No. 7 Dordt (Iowa), No. 8 Doane (Neb.), No. 9 Grand View (Iowa) and No. 10 Marian (Ind.).
As the season progresses, athletes and teams continue to prepare for March 2-4, when the 2023 NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships will be held at the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings, South Dakota.
Nicholas Lieggi is a junior at Emory University, studying political science and human health. Outside of academics, he manages Emory’s Track and Field and Cross Country programs, has conducted research for a variety of organizations, including the Electoral Integrity Project and the Office of the New York City Comptroller, and enjoys running, watching sports, and cooking. You can find him on Twitter at @nlieggi.
