2023 NAIA Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Rating Index – Week 4
It is just another week of the NAIA Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Rating Index, and we have a few new faces in the rankings.
While British Columbia remains the No. 1 team in the NAIA for the fourth time in as many weeks, the rest of the teams in the top-10 changed to some degree across the board. This week, it was Life (Ga.) coming in at No. 2, William Carey (Miss.) coming in at No. 3, Southeastern (Fla.) coming in at No. 4, and Cumberland (Tenn.) making its way up to No. 5.
Only performances from the current 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
Life (Ga.)
Life (Ga.)
3
William Carey (Miss.)
William Carey (Miss.)
4
Southeastern (Fla.)
Southeastern (Fla.)
5
Cumberland (Tenn.)
Cumberland (Tenn.)
All TFRI Reports
Led by an amazing twenty-four top-10 performances, British Columbia once again appears to be the clear frontrunner in the NAIA, coming in 392.51 points ahead of the second-ranked team. The distance events are where the Thunderbirds are enjoying the most success, as all five of the team’s top-ranked athletes are distance runners. Holly MacGillivray, who also owns a share in the squad’s second-ranked 4x800m relay (9:15.27) and ranks third in the 800m (2:10.58), leads the way with her top-ranked 1500-meter time of 4:17.60. Rachel Mortimer is just ahead of MacGillivray in the 800 with her top-ranked performance of 2:08.61, while the roles are reversed in the 1500 with Mortimer sitting in second (4:20.51). Marley Beckett has also had more than a stellar season for the Thunderbirds, as she owns the top-ranked 10,000-meter time (34:22.91), and the third-ranked 5000-meter time (16:28.58). Olivia Lundman’s 5000-meter racewalk time (23:03.90) and Kiana Gibson’s top-ranked 5000-meter time (16:22.04) round out the top dogs for the Thunderbirds.
Moving up to No. 2, the Life (Ga.) Running Eagles are soaring at the right time. The Running Eagles have nine athletes ranked inside the national top-5, led in part by the team’s only No. 1 ranked athlete, Jennifer Batu, in the hammer throw (58.82m/193-0). Talayla Davis leads the Life U on the track side of things, as she turned in a fifth-ranked 100-meter time of 11.76 at the Running Eagles Open this past weekend. At the same meet, her 4×100 relay team also turned in a time of 46.12, staking their claim to second on the NAIA leaderboards. Davis also ranks second in the 200 (23.63). The 4×100 team isn’t the only relay the Running Eagles have that is second in the country, as their 4×400 relay team is as well (3:48.65).
Led by a variety of athletes, William Carey (Miss.) comes in at No. 3 this week, despite not having a meet last week. While the team ranked ahead of them had two relays ranked No. 2, the Crusaders have two relays that stand alone as the NAIA’s very best, as the 4×100 team ran a 45.93, to go along with 3:46.18 for the 4×400 team. Salieci Myles and Joy Abu were each integral parts of those respective teams, with Myles herself turning in a 100-meter hurdle time of 13.43 that ranks tops in the NAIA, with Abu running a 400-meter hurdle time of 59.74 that places her second. Abu also ranks fifth in the 400 (55.59).
Headlined by six top-10 athletes, Southeastern (Fla.) comes in fourth, dropping a spot from last week. Also owning strong relay teams, the 400-meter hurdles is an event that the Fire are particularly strong in, with Tenae Grigsby (1:00.42) and Namiah Simpson (1:02.20) coming in third and fifth, respectively, in that event. While both make up one half of the Fire’s fourth-ranked 4×400 relay team (3:49.97), Simpson also owns a one-fourth share in the team’s 4×100 relay squad (46.33).
Moving up a spot from last week, the TFRI welcomes Cumberland (Tenn.) to the top-5 for the first time this season. If you want to know how the Phoenix were finally able to rise, you need not look much further than Praise Idamadudu, as the sophomore sprinter has turned in not one, not two, but three NAIA No. 1 times this season. Along with her 400-meter time that she ran at the Running Eagles Open over the weekend (53.65), Idamadudu also stands atop the NAIA mountain in the 100 (11.54) and 200 (23.58), completing a true sprinters trifecta to this point as the NAIA’s fastest woman.
Rounding out the top-5 teams this week are Central Methodist (Miss.) at No. 6, Indiana Tech at No. 7, Eastern Oregon at No. 8, College of Idaho at No. 9, and Indiana Wesleyan at No. 10.
The 2023 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships are right around the corner, as they will take place on May 24-26 in Marian, Indiana.
