USTFCCCA NCAA DII Program of the Year Standings – 2024 Mid-Year Update

NEW ORLEANS –Two down. One to go.

With two of the three NCAA Championships in the books – cross country and indoor track & field – it’s time to look at the standings for the Damon Martin Men’s Program of the Year Award and the Jerry Baltes Women’s Program of the Year Award in NCAA Division II.

The USTFCCCA Program of the Year Award honors the institution that has achieved the most success in each academic year (spanning the cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons) based on the institution’s finish at the NCAA Championships.

In order to be eligible for the award, teams must qualify for each of the NCAA Championships. Scoring is based on the team’s finish at each NCAA Championship in cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field (i.e. 1st = 1 point, 2nd = 2 points … 31st = 31 points) with the lowest total score for all three championships combined determining the award winner. Ties among schools split points for positions taken.

Men’s Story

Four teams are separated by just two points in the race to be named Damon Martin Men’s Program of the Year: West Texas A&M, Grand Valley State, Adams State and Wingate.

West Texas A&M is the clubhouse leader after the indoor season, totaling eight POY points. The Buffs recently finished fourth at the NCAA Indoor Championships following a fourth-place effort in cross country. WTAMU tied for third place in the final POY standings last year.

Both Adams State and GVSU have nine POY points. The Grizzlies and Lakers finished one spot apart from each other in both cross country (seventh and sixth, respectively) and indoor track & field (third and second, respectively). GVSU is seeking its fifth consecutive award, while Adams State hopes to recapture its namesake honor for the first time since 2017.

Cross country champion Wingate sits fourth with ten points entering the outdoor campaign and indoor champion Pittsburg State finds itself well within striking distance in fifth with 12 points.

Women’s Story

Stop us if you heard this before: Adams State and Grand Valley State are at it again.

The Grizzlies are the current leaders in the race to be named Jerry Baltes Women’s Program of the Year. Adams State recently won the indoor title, and coupled with its runner-up finish in cross country, that gives the program three POY points. The Grizzlies are looking to win back-to-back honors for the second time in award history (Adams State did the same in 2018 and 2019).

Only two points behind sit the Lakers. GVSU totaled five POY points through the two NCAA Championships: cross country champions and a fourth-place finish indoors. The Lakers have won nine of the 14 POY trophies awarded, including five in a row from 2009 to 2013.

West Texas A&M is a distant third with 11 POY points, followed by Colorado School of Mines in fourth with 13 points and Winona State in fifth with 19.5 points.