2023 NAIA Men’s Indoor Track & Field Rating Index – Week 3
NEW ORLEANS – Here is Week 3 of the NAIA Men’s Indoor Track & Field National TFRI, as released on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). No marks from previous seasons have been used, which means this objective list is compiled solely of current qualifying marks from the 2023 indoor track & field season.
Four of our top five teams remain in place this week, while the rest of the top-10 saw some significant shakeups.
NAIA — Men's Indoor Track & Field
This Week's National Top Five
1
Southeastern (Fla.)
Southeastern (Fla.)
2
Milligan (Tenn.)
Milligan (Tenn.)
3
Keiser (Fla.)
Keiser (Fla.)
4
Dordt (Iowa)
Dordt (Iowa)
5
Life (Ga.)
Life (Ga.)
All TFRI Reports
Southeastern (Fla.) remained No. 1 as they headed into their conference championship on Monday. The Fire continue to dominate the NAIA leaderboards, holding ten individual marks in the top-10 of the NAIA. James Williamson III’s lead in the short sprints remains untouched but not unchallenged, as his national lead in the 60 (6.62) and 200 (21.05) holds for another weekend. Southeastern’s hurdlers also continue in their control of the NAIA, with Davonte Vanterpool continuing to hold the national lead (7.81) and teammates Darion Carter and Glenn Rodgers in a tie for seventh (8.05). On the field, Kyle Manuel 17.24m (56-6¾) is good enough for second.
Milligan (Tenn.) also holds onto the No. 2 spot after Week 2 counting 10 individual marks in the top-10 of the NAIA. A distance crew of Bryn Woodall, Aaron Jones, and Will Stockley accounts for nine of those top-10s. Jones took the NAIA lead in the 3000 this weekend in a converted 8:08.40 at the Camel City Invitational, knocking Woodall’s 8:08.79c from earlier in the season to second. Also this weekend, Stockley took the NAIA lead in the mile with a 4:06.23c effort. Sylas Chambers also registered multiple strong efforts in North Carolina this weekend, registering an NAIA fifth best effort in the 600 (1:19.40c) and an NAIA eleventh best effort in the 800 (1:53.19).
After entering the top-5 for the first time last week, Keiser (Fla.) continues to hold steady, with eight individuals in the top-10 of the NAIA. A strong pair of heptathletes contributes to this, with Cole Wilson (5101) standing at second and Nigel Steenwinkel (4844) holding at fifth. The pair of sprinters Vindero Lightfoot and Melvin Johnson contribute a combined 4 top-10s, with Lightfoot slotting in at second in the 400 (47.59), and sixth in the 60 (6.74). Johnson meanwhile stands at ninth in the 60 (6.80) and fifth in the 200 (21.40). Pole vaulters Emil Carlsson and Tom Paris retain their spots at first and second in the country, respectively.
Dordt (Iowa) returns to the No. 4 spot for the second time this season, after opening the season here. The Defenders vaulted back into the top-5 after a strong set of performances across the middle and long-distance events this weekend, and currently hold six individual top-10 spots. Joe Anderson, who already holds the fourth best 3000 (8:17.57) in the NAIA, ran a 14:27.72 5000 this past weekend, good enough for fifth, and was joined by teammate Peter Shippey, who took the number eight spot in 14:37.77. Trey Engen lowered his personal best in the mile (4:09.49) to hold down the fourth best in the NAIA. Also this weekend, Cole Zevenbergen (1:20.10) took ninth on the NAIA 600 list, joining teammate Payton Mauldin (1:17.93c), already second in the event.
Life (Ga.) holds steady at fifth in this week’s rankings, featuring five national top-10 performances. The Running Eagles are still led by two NAIA-leading marks from Jacob Ulrich, in the 400 (47.33) and 600 (1:17.13), as well as a lead in the 4×400 (3:12.59). Joshua Wagner holds several strong marks in the distance events, including a seventh best mile (4:11.06) and a ninth best 5000 (14:41.12). William Jones’ 7.28m (23-10¾) in the long jump places him in a tie for third.
Here are the rest of the top-10 teams in Week 2: No. 6 Oklahoma City, No. 7 Marian (Ind.), No. 8 Indiana Tech, No. 9 Grace (Ind.), and No. 10 Doane (Neb.).
As conference competition starts to heat up, teams continue their efforts to peak at the right time, and look ahead to March 2-4, when the 2023 NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships will be held at the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings, South Dakota.
Nicholas Lieggi is a junior at Emory University, studying political science and human health. Outside of academics, he manages Emory’s Track and Field and Cross Country programs, has conducted research for a variety of organizations, including the Electoral Integrity Project and the Office of the New York City Comptroller, and enjoys running, watching sports, and cooking. You can find him on Twitter at @nlieggi.
