NAIA Rankings Tighten Up As Postseason Approaches
NEW ORLEANS — A quick glance at the most recent National Team Computer Rankings in NAIA Outdoor Track & Field reveals Indiana Tech still has the top-ranked men’s and women’s teams.
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A deeper look at the rankings that were released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) shows that it’s tighter than ever elsewhere in the top-10.
QUICK LINKS: Men’s Rankings | Women’s Rankings
While the Warriors own a massive 315.73-point advantage in the men’s rankings, less than five points separate the second-ranked men’s team from the fourth.
Indiana Tech sits high above the men’s rankings with 605.14 points, compared to second-ranked Concordia (Neb.)‘s 289.41. Following behind the Bulldogs in third with 288.29 points is Wiley (Texas), a team that moved up from fourth last week. Wayland Baptist (Texas) fell from third to fourth and has 286.83 points, while fifth-ranked Doane (Neb.) tallied 257.77.
There were several multiple-spot movers in the men’s rankings, as Siena Heights (Mich.) went from No. 8 to No. 6, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) and Marian (Ind.) both jumped three spots from their previous rankings, William Carey (Miss.) went from No. 25 to No. 17 and Carroll (Mont.) soared from No. 36 to No. 24.
Now taking a look at the women’s rankings, Indiana Tech’s lead on Concordia (Neb.) shrunk by 16 points. The Warriors are now up 33.71 points, nearly its smallest margin of the season.
Behind the Bulldogs is third-ranked Doane (Neb.) with 372.83 points, fourth-ranked Siena Heights (Mich.) with 343.99 and fifth-ranked Southern-New Orleans (La.) with 283.73 points.
Those women’s teams that hopped multiple spots included British Columbia, Biola (Calif.), Aquinas (Mich.) and Westmont (Calif.).
Expect the team races to get more exciting as the season wraps up, culminating in the 2016 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which will be held May 26-28 in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
USTFCCCA NAIA |
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Men’s Outdoor Track & Field National Team Computer Rankings (Top 25) |
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2015 Week #5 — May 4 |
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| next ranking: May 11 | |||||
| Rank | Institution | Points | Conference | Head Coach (Yr) | Last Week |
| 1 | Indiana Tech | 605.14 | Wolverine-Hoosier | Doug Edgar (7th) | 1 |
| 2 | Concordia (Neb.) | 289.41 | Great Plains | Kregg Einspahr (24th) | 2 |
| 3 | Wiley (Texas) | 288.29 | Red River | Micah Tirop (3rd) | 4 |
| 4 | Wayland Baptist (Texas) | 286.83 | Sooner Athletic | Brian Whitlock (1st) | 3 |
| 5 | Doane (Neb.) | 257.77 | Great Plains | Ed Fye (14th) | 5 |
| 6 | Siena Heights (Mich.) | 232.87 | Wolverine-Hoosier | Tim Bauer (32nd) | 8 |
| 7 | British Columbia | 215.24 | Independent (NAIA) | Marek Jedrzejek (15th) | 7 |
| 8 | Saint Mary (Kan.) | 207.63 | Kansas Collegiate | Josh Webb (1st) | 6 |
| 9 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 192.04 | Mid-South | Jamaine Gordon (3rd) | 12 |
| 10 | Marian (Ind.) | 176.19 | Crossroads | Mike Holman (4th) | 13 |
| 11 | Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) | 168.91 | Chicagoland | Michael McDowell (15th) | 11 |
| 12 | Oklahoma City | 166.80 | Sooner Athletic | Conor Holt (5th) | 9 |
| 13 | Southern-New Orleans (La.) | 165.44 | Gulf Coast | Yhann Plummer (3rd) | 10 |
| 14 | Eastern Oregon | 140.46 | Cascade | Ben Welch (12th) | 14 |
| 15 | Bethel (Ind.) | 137.23 | Crossroads | Tony Natali (18th) | 15 |
| 16 | Southern Oregon | 130.32 | Cascade | Grier Gatlin (5th) | 17 |
| 17 | William Carey (Miss.) | 129.86 | Southern States | Ben Smith (4th) | 25 |
| 18 | Cornerstone (Mich.) | 125.06 | Wolverine-Hoosier | Rod Wortley (18th) | 19 |
| 19 | St. Ambrose (Iowa) | 122.80 | Chicagoland | Dan Tomlin (9th) | 16 |
| 20 | MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) | 120.52 | Heart of America | Nate Wiens (1st) | 18 |
| 21 | Briar Cliff (Iowa) | 117.56 | Great Plains | Nate Treinen (9th) | 21 |
| 22 | McPherson (Kan.) | 114.63 | Kansas Collegiate | Cameron Magnall (5th) | 20 |
| 23 | Friends (Kan.) | 114.54 | Kansas Collegiate | Damian Smithhisler (4th) | 23 |
| 24 | Carroll (Mont.) | 111.85 | Frontier | Harry Clark (3rd) | 36 |
| 25 | Indiana Wesleyan | 105.44 | Crossroads | John Foss (29th) | 22 |
| dropped out: No. 24 St. Francis (Ill.) | |||||
| View All Teams Beyond the Top 25 | |||||
USTFCCCA NAIA |
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Women’s Outdoor Track & Field National Team Computer Rankings (Top 25) |
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2015 Week #5 — May 4 |
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| next ranking: May 11 | |||||
| Rank | Institution | Points | Conference | Head Coach (Yr) | Last Week |
| 1 | Indiana Tech | 434.88 | Wolverine-Hoosier | Doug Edgar (7th) | 1 |
| 2 | Concordia (Neb.) | 401.17 | Great Plains | Kregg Einspahr (24th) | 3 |
| 3 | Doane (Neb.) | 372.83 | Great Plains | Ed Fye (14th) | 2 |
| 4 | Siena Heights (Mich.) | 343.99 | Wolverine-Hoosier | Kirk Richards (4th) | 4 |
| 5 | Southern-New Orleans (La.) | 283.73 | Gulf Coast | Yhann Plummer (3rd) | 5 |
| 6 | Wayland Baptist (Texas) | 249.35 | Sooner Athletic | Brian Whitlock (1st) | 6 |
| 7 | British Columbia | 242.91 | Independent (NAIA) | Marek Jedrzejek (15th) | 9 |
| 8 | The Master’s (Calif.) | 233.56 | Golden State | Zach Schroeder (8th) | 8 |
| 9 | Biola (Calif.) | 228.28 | Golden State | Sean Henning (1st) | 12 |
| 10 | Friends (Kan.) | 217.28 | Kansas Collegiate | Cole Davis (5th) | 10 |
| 11 | Carroll (Mont.) | 212.34 | Frontier | Harry Clark (3rd) | 7 |
| 12 | Hastings (Neb.) | 201.33 | Great Plains | Ryan Mahoney (3rd) | 11 |
| 13 | Aquinas (Mich.) | 191.37 | Wolverine-Hoosier | Dave Wood (20th) | 16 |
| 14 | Northwest Christian (Ore.) | 182.33 | Cascade | George Walcott (3rd) | 13 |
| 15 | Wiley (Texas) | 162.26 | Red River | Micah Tirop (3rd) | 14 |
| 16 | Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) | 153.59 | Chicagoland | Michael McDowell (15th) | 15 |
| 17 | St. Francis (Ill.) | 123.33 | Chicagoland | Jeff Barker (4th) | 17 |
| 18 | Dillard (La.) | 123.03 | Gulf Coast | Bobby Williams (7th) | 18 |
| 19 | Westmont (Calif.) | 119.14 | Golden State | Russell Smelley (37th) | 24 |
| 20 | Missouri Baptist | 111.22 | American Midwest | Patricia Hanna (6th) | 21 |
| 21 | Brenau (Ga.) | 110.72 | Southern States | (0th) | 19 |
| 22 | Shawnee State (Ohio) | 102.23 | Mid-South | Eric Putnam (10th) | 20 |
| 23 | Taylor (Ind.) | 101.30 | Crossroads | David Neville (2nd) | 23 |
| 24 | St. Ambrose (Iowa) | 95.41 | Chicagoland | Dan Tomlin (9th) | 25 |
| 25 | Oklahoma City | 90.42 | Sooner Athletic | Conor Holt (5th) | 22 |
| dropped out: (none) | |||||
| View All Teams Beyond the Top 25 | |||||
