2023 NJCAA DIII Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Rating Index – Week 6
NEW ORLEANS – The top-5 remained the same in the Week 6 edition of the 2023 NJCAA Division III Men’s Outdoor Track & Field National Track & Field Rating Index, which was released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Only marks from the 2023 indoor and outdoor track & field seasons have been used in this objective compilation. This is final national TFRI of the year as the 2023 NJCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships run next Thursday-Saturday at Mohawk Valley (N.Y.) CC in Utica, New York.
NJCAA Division III — Men's Outdoor Track & Field
This Week's National Top Five
1
Mineral Area (Mo.)
Mineral Area (Mo.)
2
DuPage (Ill.)
DuPage (Ill.)
3
Harper (Ill.)
Harper (Ill.)
4
RCSJ Gloucester (N.J.)
RCSJ Gloucester (N.J.)
5
Hudson Valley (N.Y.) CC
Hudson Valley (N.Y.) CC
All TFRI Reports
Mineral Area (Mo.) completed a season-long perch at No. 1 and will be seeking its first-ever NJCAA Division III team crown in track & field after having finished second last year. The Cardinals have four national-leading marks, with current M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week Bradley Ahrens owning two of them – the 800 meters at 1:55.52 and 1500 at 3:56.60. Also topping this year’s lists for Mineral Area are Hunter Cary in the decathlon (5685) and Sie’ntez Lerma in the 400 (48.90). Cary is returning national champ in the decathlon and the 110 hurdles, and the Cardinals also have the reigning champ in the 10,000 in Jacob Arnold.
Two-time defending champion College of DuPage (Ill.) is No. 2 for the fifth week in a row. The Chaps have four national-leading marks: Sheldon Powell in steeplechase at 10:02.54, Jack Sauder in the pole vault at 4.60m (15-1) along with the 4×100 (43.02) and 4×800 (8:12.85) relay teams. DuPage has won this meet a total of six times including titles in 2002, ’03, ’06 and ’10.
Harper (Ill.) is No. 3 and has improved its score every week – the only top-5 program to do so. The Hawks have a pair of national leaders in Albert Szewczyk in the 10,000 (31:58.93) and the 4×400 relay (3:25.11). Harper will be looking to match or better their third-place finish from 2019; they were second in 2015 and have won the team crown five times (2007-09 and 2011-12).
No. 4 is RCSJ Gloucester (N.J.), which has two national leaders in Chris Guerrieri in the shot put at 15.57m (51-1) and Michael Taylor in the hammer throw at 46.25m (151-9). The Roadrunners were fourth in this meet last year, their first appearance since winning the 2018 and 2019 team titles (they also won 2014).
Hudson Valley (N.Y.) CC is No. 5, completing a season-long run in the top-5. The Vikings’ Brooks Robson is the national leader in the triple jump at 13.96m (45-9¾) and also have returning champ in the 100 in Charles Benichoux. Hudson Valley was third in this meet last year.
Rounding out the top-10 teams in the National TFRI are No. 6 Thaddeus Stevens (Pa.), No. 7 Suffolk County (N.Y.) CC, No. 8 Queensborough (N.Y.) CC, No. 8 Thaddeus Stevens (Pa.), No. 9 Howard (Md.) CC and No. 10 Joliet (Ill.) JC. Thaddeus Stevens has two national-leading marks and Suffolk County has one. This is this first year for the Joliet men’s program since 1981.
