Saint Augustine’s Men & GVSU Women Enter DII Championships as the Favorites

NEW ORLEANS – The final entries into the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships at Grand Valley State next weekend are out and the final National Team Computer Rankings from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) are in.

The defending national champion Saint Augustine’s men and the host Grand Valley State women are the pre-meet favorites heading into Allendale, Mich., on May 22-24, albeit by significantly differing margins.

Based only on entries into the championship meet – select portions of which can be viewed live online at NCAA.com – and how highly they are ranked, the computer projected GVSU’s women as the narrowest of favorites over last week’s No. 1 team, Lincoln (Mo.).

Saint Augustine’s, on the other hand maintained a comfortable advantage over No. 2 Adams State and new No. 3 Texas A&M-Kingsville.

The full details on the women’s and men’s races can be found below.

Historically speaking, both Saint Augustine’s and GVSU have positioned themselves well to win the NCAA team title.

Three of the four men’s teams ranked No. 1 in the final edition of the rankings since their inception in 2010 have gone on to win the title – though the one that didn’t was Saint Augustine’s itself in 2012 when it lost out to Adams State.

GVSU could become the fifth consecutive women’s team to finish the regular season at No. 1 and ultimately claim the national title.

Check back later this week for a closer look at some of the individual storylines of the Championships.

WOMEN

Women’s Top Five 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) GVSU 222.46 pts Lincoln (Mo.) 221.50 pts Adams St. 186.41 pts Johnson C. Smith 168.98 pts Ashland 156.54 pts View Complete Women’s Rankings

However, the battle between GVSU and Lincoln – which have combined to win three of the past five national team titles – is also tighter than any other since the beginning of the USTFCCCA rankings in 2010 with less than one point separating the Lakers (224.46) and the Blue Tigers (221.50).

Grand Valley State has the edge in total meet entries with a nation-best 28 to Lincoln’s 19, with No. 3 Adams State (186.41) just behind at 15.

The advantage in entries ranked among the top three and the top 10? Those advantages go to Adams State and Lincoln, respectively.

Alicia Nelson, the top-ranked 1500 meters and 3000-meter steeplechase runner, leads Adams State’s six top-three entries. Lincoln is just behind with its No. 1 4×400 team headlining five top-three entries, while GVSU’s top-ranked pole vaulter Kristen Hixson is one of just two for the Lakers.

With Nelson’s two top-ranked performances, the Grizzlies are one of just three teams ranked in the top 10 with multiple No. 1 seeds. The others? No. 4 Johnson C. Smith (Danielle Williams, Samantha Elliott) and No. 7 New Mexico (Salcia Slack, Shanice McPherson).

At No. 4, Johnson C. Smith isn’t to be ignored, either, with a proven champion in Danielle Williams leading the way. The senior won three individual track titles indoors – a feat no one had ever accomplished before her – to lead JCS to a runner-up team finish.

Lincoln has the edge in top-10 entries with 15, just ahead of GVSU’s 14. Adams State and No. 5 Ashland both have 10.

MEN

Men’s Top Five 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Saint Augustine’s 329.76 pts Adams State 227.36 pts TAMU-Kingsville 195.55 pts Ashland 176.09 pts Chico State 131.30 pts View Complete Men’s Rankings

The Saint Augustine’s men appear to be trending toward a second consecutive runaway victory in the team race after winning by a meet-record 48 points a year ago.

Checking in with a team rankings score of 329.76, the Falcons are more than 100 points clear of No. 2 Adams State (227.36), whom they battled to the bitter end for an indoor national title victory of just 1½ team points.

Texas A&M-Kingsville (195.55) overtook Ashland (176.09) for the No. 3 spot, while the Eagles fell to No. 4.

One look at the meet entries illuminates the reason why Saint Augustine’s is the prohibitive favorite in the eyes of the computer. Of the Falcons’ 23 entries (all sprints/hurdles, relays and jumps), 17 are ranked within the top 10 of their events, nine are in the top three and six are the top seeds.

To put it in perspective, Saint Aug’s 17 entries ranked in the top 10 are more than the total entries of all but Ashland and No. 7 Grand Valley (114.01) with 18 apiece. Adams State has 16 total entries.

Collegiate-leading 400-meter hurdler Roxroy Cato and top-seeded long jumper/triple jumper Dejon Wilkinson lead the way for the Falcons among those six top-seeded event entries.

By contrast, No. 2 Adams State and No. 3 TAMU-Kingsville combined for six total top seeds, with three each.

The Grizzlies have eight total top-three seeds, including top-ranked steeplechaser Tabor Stevens and 5000-meters man Kevin Batt, and 12 total entries seeded in the top 10. Also with 12 top-10 competitors is No. 4 Ashland.

TAMU-Kingsville, led by top-ranked high jumper Jeron Robinson, has five in the top three and 11 top-10 entries. No. 5 Chico State (131.30) also has five top-three entries.