2023 NCAA DIII Men’s Indoor Track & Field Rating Index – Week 7

NEW ORLEANS – And then there was one.

Here is the Pre-Championships Edition of the NCAA DIII Men’s Indoor Track & Field National Rating Index for the 2023 season, as released on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Only marks from those athletes qualified for the upcoming NCAA Championships have been used, which means this is an objective look at what teams have the best chance at contending for national titles this weekend.

NCAA Division III — Men's Indoor Track & Field

This Week's National Top Five

1
MIT

2
Loras

3
UW-La Crosse

4
UW-Oshkosh

5
John Carroll

All TFRI Reports

NATIONAL TFRI
PDFs: Team Detail | Event Detail

REGIONAL TFRI
PDFs: Team Summary | Event Summary

CONFERENCE TFRI
PDFs: Team Summary | Event Summary

#EVENTSQUAD
PDFs: Team Summary | Team Detail | Event Detail

MIT is the odds-on favorite to top the podium in the Yellowhammer State thanks to both the quality and quantity of its entries. The Engineers, who are seeking their first national title in program history, own 21 entries – of which, 11 are in scoring position. All eyes will be on NCAA DIII record-holder Ryan Wilson in the mile, Kenneth Wei in both the 60-meter hurdles and long jump, as well as the distance duo of Sam Acquaviva and Matthew Kearney in both the 3000 meters and 5000 meters, among others.

Loras jumped two spots from the previous week to enter the meet at No. 2. The Duhawks, who are also seeking their first national title in program history, hold 12 entries with three national-leading efforts: Mike Jasa in the 800 meters; Derik Bunten in the long jump; and the division record-setting DMR with Wyatt Kelly, Ted Kruse, Jasa and Ryan Harvey. Loras also has three other marks that are ranked among the national top-5, giving them ample chances to score.

UW-La Crosse ranks third entering the NCAA Championships thanks to hauling in the second-most entries among men’s programs with 18. The Eagles, who are seeking their 19^th – yes, 19^th – national title in program history, are led by Sam Blaskowski. The sophomore star set NCAA DIII records in both the 60 meters and 200 meters this season and will be looked at to provide big points for UW-La Crosse in both. Otherwise, the Eagles hope Ethan Gregg will be in the mix for individual national titles in both the 3000 and 5000, among other athletes.

UW-Oshkosh arrives as the fourth-ranked program in the Pre-Championships TFRI, seeking its first national title since 2009. The Titans have 14 entries into the meet with half of them (seven) among the top-8 seeds. Both Eli Tranel (pole vault) and Jonathan Wilburn (triple jump) are ranked second nationally in their respective events, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see both of them top the podium at the end of competition.

John Carroll held steady at No. 5 and has an outside shot of finishing on the podium. The Blue Streaks have one entry in seven different events ranging from the 200 to the DMR. Two-time NCAA DIII record-holder Alex Phillip is the main catalyst for JCU, as he will be in contention to complete the distance double. Three other Blue Streaks who have individual entries will also join Phillip on the DMR: Garrett Clark (200), Basheer Alramahi (400), Caleb Correia (800).

Here are the rest of the top-10 teams in the Pre-Championships Edition: No. 6 Bethel (Minn.), No. 7 SUNY Geneseo, No. 8 Williams, No. 9 UW-Whitewater and No. 10 UW-Eau Claire.

The season draws to a close this weekend at the 2023 NCAA DIII Indoor Track & Field Championships in Birmingham, Alabama.