2023 NAIA Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Rating Index – Week 3
After many weeks of not being able to be outside, it is finally warming up outside for more teams to get after it. Outdoor track & field season is heating up.
There were no changes to the top-5 of the NAIA Women’s Outdoor Track & Field National Rating Index this week, as British Columbia retained its position as the No. 1 team, as did William Carey (Miss.) at No. 2, Southeastern (Fla.) at No. 3, Life (Ga.) at No. 4, and Central Methodist (Mo.) at No. 5, respectively.
Only marks from the current outdoor track and field season have been used in this objective compilation.
NAIA — Women's Outdoor Track & Field
This Week's National Top Five
1
British Columbia
British Columbia
2
William Carey (Miss.)
William Carey (Miss.)
3
Southeastern (Fla.)
Southeastern (Fla.)
4
Life (Ga.)
Life (Ga.)
5
Central Methodist (Mo.)
Central Methodist (Mo.)
All TFRI Reports
British Columbia continues to sit atop the NAIA, as they sport an incredible 21 performances by athletes that are ranked inside the top-10. Rachel Mortimer turned in an 800-meter time of 2:12.39 at the Emilie Mondor Invitational this weekend which puts her fourth in that event, along with her top-ranked 1500-meter time (4:21.41). While Mortimer’s longer performance did not happen this weekend at that meet, Holly MacGillivray (4:30.12, third), Kyla Becker (4:32.93, seventh), and Kiana Gibson (4:37.76, ninth) all did turn in solid races there. Gibson also owns the top-ranked 5000-meter time of 16:22.04, an event in which the Thunderbirds own each of the top four spots (Katie Newlove in 16:27.09, Marley Beckett in 16:28.58, and Becker in 16:33.40 all rank second, third, and fourth respectively).
William Carey (Miss.) held steady at No. 2 this week. The Crusaders have reached double figures in top-10 performances themselves, led by a strong sprint and hurdle crew, including Joy Abu’s top-ranked 400-meter-hurdle time (59.74), and Salieci Myles’ top time in the 100-meter hurdles (13.43). Myles owns a share in the Crusaders’ top-ranked 4x100m relay (45.93), while Abu herself owns a share in the team’s No. 1 4x400m relay (3:46.18). Both are also ranked in other events, as Abu sits fifth in the NAIA in the 400 meters (55.59), while Myles is ranked ninth in the 100 meters (11.90).
While they do not have any top-ranked athletes, Southeastern (Fla.) hit double figures in the top-10 department themselves with ten. Relays are an area in which the Fire are particularly strong, as their 4×100 meter relay squad posted a second-ranked mark of 46.33 on the NAIA leaderboard at the Hurricane Alumni Invitational this past weekend. The Fire also rank third in the 4x400m relay (3:49.97). Tenae Grigsby and Namiah Simpson, who make up half of that 4x400m relay team, are the only other individual athletes inside the top-5, as the two 400H make up a 2-4 duo in that event (1:00.42, and 1:02.20 respectively). Simpson also owns a share in the 4x100m relay performance. The Fire’s 4x800m relay rounds out the top-5 performances (9:37.44, fifth).
As was the case last week, Life (Ga.) stayed put at the No. 4 spot. Six Running Eagle athletes and one relay own marks good enough to crack the top-10, led particularly by the throwers, as Levonis Davis owns the top mark in the shot put (14.50m/47-7), as does Jennifer Batu in the hammer throw (58.82/193-0), a performance she turned in this weekend at the KSU Invitational. Brianna Florvirus also turned in a stellar performance at the meet, as her 400-meter time of 55.19 ranks her fourth, an event in which Sabrina Richman ranks third right ahead of her (54.96). Florvilus also owns a share in the Running Eagles’ second-ranked 4x400m relay (3:48.65). A 2-3 200m duo of Talayla Davis (23.63) and Sabrina Richman (23.73) rounds out the top-10 for the fourth-ranked squad.
Once again rounding out the top-5 teams this week, Central Methodist (Mo.) is anchored by eight top-10 efforts. Leading the way in part for the fifth-ranked Eagles is Tre’Breh Scott in both the 100H (13.81, second), which she turned in at the Lincoln University Open over the weekend, and the 4x400m relay (3:49.98 fourth). Gizel Clayton was right behind Scott in third in that same race with her 100m hurdle time of 13.83. Clayton also ranks seventh in the NAIA in the 100 (11.89). Also turning in top-10 performances for the Eagles are Darly Camilo-Montenegro in the 800 (2:14.74, sixth), Baileigh Morris in the 5000-meter racewalk (29:40.11, tenth), and Renee Finke (1.70m/5-7, third) and Baylee Beard (51.20m/168-0, eighth) in the high jump and hammer throw respectively.
Here are the rest of the top-10 teams in Week 3: Cumberland (Tenn.) at No. 6, Indiana Wesleyan at No. 7, College of Idaho at No. 8, Vanguard (Calif.) at No. 9, and Eastern Oregon at No. 10.
Be sure to mark your calendars for May 24-26, because that’s when the 2023 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be held in Marian, Indiana.
