Indiana Tech Men & Women Projected as NAIA Indoor T&F Championship Favorites

NEW ORLEANS – They’ve been No. 1 all season long, and that’s exactly how the men and women of Indiana Tech will enter this week’s NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships.

The defending champion men and returning national runner-up women of Indiana Tech checked in once again atop the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Team Computer Rankings released Monday – the final edition before national competition gets underway at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio, March 5-7.

Only those athletes entered into the championships were included in the rankings, though that changed the order of teams very minimally. The only movement within either gender’s top five teams came via a swap between the No. 3 Oklahoma Baptist men and No. 4 Wayland Baptist (Texas).

Narrowing down the rankings formula to only those entered in the NAIA Championships field benefitted both Indiana Tech squads, as both built upon already substantial cushions atop their rankings thrones.

More than 170 points separate the team totals of the Tech men (446.68) and No. 2 Doane (Neb.) (276.47), while the Warrior women (444.95) hold a significant lead of nearly 130 points over No. 2 Doane (316.15).

Team totals in the USTFCCCA rankings do not reflect the scoring system used at NCAAs. Team totals are calculated by assigning more points to athletes ranked higher on the national descending order lists in their events, and summing the scores of all the athletes on each team. A full explanation of the formula can be found here.

The Indiana Tech men’s advantage is predicated upon the sheer number of entries they have in the meet. The Warriors will send 24 entries to Geneva – 11 more than the second-highest total of 13 from Doane.

Doane does have the advantage in terms of the number of entries ranked top-three nationally with seven to Tech’s (and No. 3 Oklahoma Baptist’s) six, but no team matches Tech’s three top-ranked entries: John Hester at 600 meters, Isaiah Lintz in the long jump and the 4×400 relay.

Indiana Tech’s women don’t have the same advantage as the men in terms of total entries – their 20 is just one better than No. 2 Doane’s 19 and No. 3 Wayland Baptist’s 17 – but they do have an advantage that might be just as crucial.

The Warriors have nine entries ranked within the top three of their respective events nationally – three each at Nos. 1, 2 and 3. Leading the way are top-ranked Tia Cooper at 60 meters, hurdler Shayla France and pole vaulter Carly Schmidt.

That’s three entries better than the next highest team, defending national champion No. 4 Oklahoma Baptist with six.

See the full breakdown of top-10-ranked entries by team here.

While both Indiana Tech squads are projected as favorites to win the team title and Doane is projected as a strong second-place contender (of course, these are just numbers on paper – that’s why they contest the meet!), the races are much closer for the remaining team podium spots.

On the women’s side, No. 2 Doane (316.15 team rankings total), No. 4 Wayland Baptist (307.72) and No. 4 Oklahoma Baptist (287.00) are all within about 30 points of one another. The points system used in the USTFCCCA rankings do not equate to the scoring system used at the NAIA championships, but rather are an indicator of how close teams might finish to one another based on cumulative regular-season results.

The men’s race is even deeper, with No.3 Oklahoma Baptist (218.20), No. 4 Wayland Baptist (213.03), No. 5 Concordia (Neb.) (198.30) and No. 6 Concordia (Ore.) (184.75) separated by just over 30 rankings points, with No. 7 Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) only another 30 behind.