2023 NJCAA Men’s Indoor Track & Field Rating Index – Week 5
NEW ORLEANS – This is not a rerun – South Plains (Texas) has a commanding lead in the NJCAA Men’s Indoor National Track & Field Ratings Index (TFRI), as released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
This is the Week 5 edition for the TFRI, which only uses marks from the current season to objectively rank programs on a national basis.
With almost all regular season action completed, attention now shifts to the 2023 NJCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, set for March 3-4 at the Washburn Indoor Athletic Facility in Topeka, Kansas.
NJCAA — Men's Indoor Track & Field
This Week's National Top Five
1
South Plains (Texas)
South Plains (Texas)
2
New Mexico JC
New Mexico JC
3
Iowa Western CC
Iowa Western CC
4
Barton (Kan.) CC
Barton (Kan.) CC
5
Iowa Central CC
Iowa Central CC
All TFRI Reports
South Plains (Texas) is No. 1 in the TFRI for a 12th-straight time – a streak that started in Week 6 of 2021. The Texans look as strong as ever with a margin of just under 200 points and a season-high 35 top-10 marks. Seven of those marks lead the nation – Hossam Hatib in the 600 meters at 1:16.23 (just 0.01 seconds off the NJCAA record in leading a 1-2-3-4 sweep of Texans at the top), Kimar Farquharson in the 800 at 1:46.74 (converted from his NJCAA-record 1:47.04), Mehmet Celik in the 1000 at 2:22.47, Justin Guy in the 60 hurdles at 7.82, Kudakwashe Chadenga in the high jump at 2.26m (7-5), which ties the all-time NJCAA indoor best and the 4×400 (3:06.35) and 4×800 (7:12.69) relays. South Plains is the two-time defending team champion and has won seven titles since 2007.
New Mexico JC continues its season-long presence at No. 2, matching its highest rating in program history. The T-Birds have 16 top-10 marks, with 10 ranking in the top-5 and five leading the nation – Tapiwanashe Makarawu in the 200 at 20.54, Donald Chiyangwa in the 400 at 46.34, Dalton Smith in the pole vault at 4.91m (16-1¼) and Kelsey Daniel in the long jump at 7.99m (26-2¾) and triple jump at 16.04m (52-7½). New Mexico is seeking its fourth-place finish in 2019, when it revived its long-dormant men’s program (the T-Birds won national crowns back in 1979 and ’80).
Remaining No. 3 is Iowa Western CC. The Westerners have a season-high 17 top-10 marks, with one of those leading the country – their distance medley relay team at 9:49.11, which puts them No. 3 all-time among NJCAA programs on tracks of all sizes. Iowa Western was No. 2 in the TFRI all season last year before finishing third at NJCAA Indoor Championships.
Moving up two spots to No. 4 is Barton (Kan.) CC, last year’s runner-up at the NJCAA Indoor Championships. The Cougars own 12 top-10 marks – five in the top-5 including a pair who rate No. 2 – Christopher Young in the shot put at 18.07m (59-3½) and Brandon Lloyd in the weight throw at 19.12m (62-8¾). Barton is the last program besides South Plains or Iowa Central CC to win the men’s title (2010).
Iowa Central CC remains No. 5, less than a point behind Barton. The Tritons have 14 top-10 marks, four of which are among the top-5 that includes a pair at No. 2 – Waukeem Walters in the long jump at 7.56m (24-9¾) and Roman Kuleshov in the triple jump at 15.63m (51-3½). Iowa Central was runner-up in 2021 after winning seven of the previous 10 years.
Completing the top-10 teams in the national TFRI are No. 6 Indian Hills (Iowa) CC, No. 7 Cloud County (Kan.) CC, No. 8 Butler (Kan.) CC, No. 9 Mesa (Ariz.) CC and No. 10 Fort Scott (Kan.) CC. Cloud County and Fort Scott each have two national leaders and Butler has one.
