2023 NAIA Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Rating Index – Week 2
NEW ORLEANS — It is finally April.
It is finally spring, and that means outdoor track and field season is in full swing.
There were no changes to the top-3 teams this weekend, as Southeastern (Fla.), British Columbia, and The Master’s (Calif.) remain at No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3, respectively. There are, however, two new faces in the rankings as Westmont (Calif.) moved up four spots to attain its place at No. 4 this week, while Marian (Ind.) moved up an astonishing fifteen spots to round out the top-5 of this week’s NAIA Men’s Track & Field Rating Index.
Only marks from the current outdoor track and field season have been used in this objective compilation.
NAIA — Men's Outdoor Track & Field
This Week's National Top Five
1
Southeastern (Fla.)
Southeastern (Fla.)
2
British Columbia
British Columbia
3
The Master's (Calif.)
The Master's (Calif.)
4
Westmont (Calif.)
Westmont (Calif.)
5
Marian (Ind.)
Marian (Ind.)
All TFRI Reports
For the second week in a row, Southeastern (Fla.) sits atop the polls in the NAIA. While none of the Fire’s sixteen listed top-10 performances took place this weekend, they still lead the NAIA in that department, as they are also tied for the most No. 1 ranked performances with four. SEU leads the NAIA in both relays: the 4×100 meter relay (40.35) and the 4x400m relay (3:11.26). The Fire also boast top times in James Williamson’s 200m performance (20.73) and Keishon Franklin’s 400m effort (46.65).
As was the case last week, British Columbia sits at No. 2 in this weeks’ TFRI. Other than the 4×800 meter relay (7:53.20, third), all the other twelve top-10 performances by the Thunderbirds were done by a different athlete. Nine of them come from the distance crew, as the squad is led in part by Dylan Ulrich’s top time in the steeplechase (9:02.93). Other distance performances for the Thunderbirds that rank in the top-10 include Ryan Goudron (1:53.13, fifth) and Liam Kramer (1:53.39, seventh) in the 800 meters, Aiden Miller coming in right behind Kramer at No. 2 in the steeplechase (9:19.60), a 2-4-6 standing in the 5000 meters between John Perrier (14:23.74), Liam Dwyer (14:35.36), and Sacha Schimmelpenninck (14:40.00) respectively, and a 2-6 duo in the 5000-meter racewalk from Tyler Wilson (22:26.27) and Nikhil Hirani (25:14.04). Rounding out the top-5 performances for the Thunderbirds are javelin throwers Daniel Smart-Reed (62.92 meters, 206.5, second) and Cameron Kuziak (62.59m, 205-4, third), and hammer thrower Matthew Uliana (63.58m, 208-7, first).
The Master’s (Calif.) comes in at No. 3 for the second week in a row. The distance runners continue to shine for the Mustangs, as Davis Boggess attained his second No. 1 ranking of the season with his most recent 5000-meter performance at the Stanford Invitational this weekend (14:07.74). Boggess also ranks first in the mile (3:47.86). While the 5000-meter performance was the only top-10 mark for TMU this last weekend, eight out of the nine top-10 marks for the squad were courtesy of distance runners. Caleb Pouliot’s top-ranked pole vault (5.20m/17-¾) is the only ranked performance on the team that came from a different event group.
Entering the top-5 for the first time this season, Westmont (Calif.) moved up four spots to take control of No. 4. Two of the Warriors’ seven top-10 efforts are good enough for tops in America, led in part by Senzo Sokhela’s top 800-meter time of 1:49.61 at the Stanford Invitational this past weekend. Westmont also boasts the top 4x800m relay in the nation of 7:41.80. The rest of the Warriors’ top-10 performances include Jack Vanden-Heuvel (1:50.32, third) and Adam King (1:53.23, sixth) in the 800, a 2-3 showing from Sokhela (3:49.44) and King (3:51.87) in the 1,500m respectively, and a seventh-ranked decathlon effort from Ty Hernandez (5,534 points).
Moving up an impressive fifteen spots, Marian (Ind.) was able to snag the fifth and final spot this week. The throwing tandem of Christian Rios and Isaiah Tipping have run the show early on for the Knights this season, as Rios ranks third in both the discus (52.13m/171-2) and hammer throw (60.24m/197-8). Tipping follows right behind him in both events, with his sixth-ranked effort in the discus (49.22m, 161-6), and fifth-ranked toss in the hammer throw (56.64m, 185-10).
Rounding out the top-10 this week are Our Lady of the Lake (Tex.) at No. 6, Montreat (N.C.) at No. 7, Lewis & Clark State (Idaho) at No. 8, Florida Memorial at No. 9, and Dillard (La.) at No. 10.
Mark your calendars for May 24-26, because that’s when the 2023 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be held in Marian, Indiana.
