Favorites Still Entrenched In Place Atop NAIA Rankings

NEW ORLEANS — Cream often rises to the top, as the old axiom says.

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Well, it’s no different in the NAIA National Team Computer Rankings, released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

For the third consecutive batch of rankings, the Indiana Tech men and women are still the odds-on favorites to capture their respective gender’s national championship. Both of the Warrior teams have actually strengthened their grasp on the No. 1 spot as the men own a 216-point advantage over No. 2 Doane (Neb.) and the women are ahead of the same team by more than 75 points.

QUICK LINKS: Men’s Rankings | Women’s Rankings

Scores in the National Team Computer Rankings were determined by the USTFCCCA computers using marks from the current season.

The closer an athlete is to the top of his or her event rankings, the more points he or she earns toward the team total. Points from all applicable athletes are added up to determine team scores.

The point system used in the rankings is not the same as the scoring system used for the NAIA Championships.

A full breakdown of the national rankings methodology can be found here.

It should also be noted that the USTFCCCA National Team Computer Rankings should not be referenced to as a “poll,” since no voting was conducted.

For the second week in a row, the No. 3 team in both rankings is that of Siena Heights (Mich.). The next two teams in the men’s ranking remained the same — Wayland Baptist (Texas) and Concordia (Neb.) — while they swapped spots in the women’s ranking.

Two teams made their first appearance in the top-10 — the Oklahoma City men and the Friends (Kan.) women. Oklahoma City gained 11.44 points and went from No. 16 to No. 10, while the Friends (Kan.) women moved from No. 12 to No. 9.

Some other teams trending in the right direction this week were the Indiana Wesleyan men (No. 25 to No. 17), the St. Ambrose (Iowa) men (No. 33 to No. 19) and the Carroll (Mont.) men who went from No. 45 to No. 24. In the women’s ranking, the College of Idaho went from No. 23 to No. 13 and Taylor (Ind.) soared from No. 36 to No. 20.

The slightest of change in the descending order lists could make a huge impact in the rankings in the next few weeks. Fewer than 10 points separate large packs of teams in the top-25.

Will these rankings hold up in a few weeks when the NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships are held in Johnson City, Tennessee from March 2-4? We’ll just have to wait and see.