Thursday, May 01, 2014

Florida Men & Texas Women Seize Control of Division I Outdoor T&F National Team Rankings

Florida Men & Texas Women Seize Control of Division I Outdoor T&F National Team Rankings
April 29, 2014


NEW ORLEANS – Gone from the Division I National Team Computer Rankings’ formula are preseason marks from the 2013 season in the week four edition released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

The defending national men’s co-champion Florida Gators reclaimed the top spot on the men’s side after a one-week absence, while the Texas women wrangled the top spot for just the second time in the seven-year history of the USTFCCCA rankings.Gone with them are last week’s top-ranked men’s and women’s teams.

Those two moves to the top epitomized the week in the rankings that annually sees the most upheaval with marks from 2014 left to stand on their own in the rankings formula. The lone exception are combined event marks from the previous season, which remain through week five.

Of the top 25 men’s teams, only two remained stationary while the women’s rankings were slightly more stable with 17 of 25 teams shifting positions.

None of the top 10 men’s teams held steady from last week, including a hard fall by last week’s top-ranked Oregon. Summer may be fast approaching, but the Ducks migrated south three spots to No. 4 while new No.1 Florida, defending national co-champion No. 2 Texas A&M and No. 3 Arkansas all stepped up one spot.

Not surprisingly, Florida also topped the list of top-10 performers and top-three performers with 13 and six, respectively, followed by Texas A&M with 10 and four. A breakdown of top-10 performers by team can be found here.The Gators (329.29 team rankings score) benefitted from the change with a 10-point improvement to its score, while A&M (291.70) stayed close with a slight five-point loss.

Arkansas’s team score of 211.88 was down nearly 65 points from last week, but that paled in comparison to Oregon’s 127-point dive – more than a third of its score from last time – to 208.87.

Most notably, Oregon has not yet pushed its distance runners – including three-time NCAA champ and reigning National Athlete of the Week Edward Cheserek – to run their fastest in the races in which they have competed.

Georgia (180.98) moved up a spot to round out the top five.

Two new teams joined the top 10 in No. 6 BYU (172.74) and No. 7 Texas (162.77), which were up 11 and seven spots, respectively. Both No. 8 Alabama (156.38) and No. 9 Texas Tech (138.95) improved one spot after LSU (136.51) dropped two to No. 10.

Florida (340.61) remained firmly in the hunt, just two points back after retaining its spot at No. 2.For the first time since week five of the 2012 season, Texas’ women took over the top position in the USTFCCCA outdoor rankings. The Longhorns (342.58 team rankings score) registered a net six-point improvement to their team rankings score after preseason marks were removed, combined with a collegiate-leading 3:25.05 4×400 relay – good for No. 4 in college history and a new Penn Relays record.

A constant at No. 1 throughout this 2014 season, Texas A&M (318.31) dropped three positions to No. 3 after a 65-point hit to its team rankings score. The Aggies ended up just ahead of stationary No. 4 Oregon (317.00) after the Ducks saw a 28-point improvement to their score.

Each of those four programs currently have double-digit top-10 performers and five or more ranked in the top three nationally. Texas topped both lists with 13 in the top 10 and six in the top three, respectively, while both Florida and Texas A&M have 12 and five. Oregon has ten and five.

A breakdown of top-10 performers by team can be found here.

Georgia (233.38) held firm at No. 5, as did Kentucky (198.23) at No. 6.

No. 7 LSU (190.38) and No. 8 Southern California (182.52) switched spots from last time, while No. 9 Arkansas (169.66) and No. 10 Florida State (168.05) held firm.

Michigan’s women made the biggest move of this week’s top 25 with a 33-spot jump to No. 20, while No. 24 Georgetown climbed the farthest on the men’s side with a 28-position increase.

The purpose and methodology of the rankings is to create an index that showcases the teams that have the best potential of achieving the top spots in the national team race. Rankings points do not equate with NCAA Championships team points. A full description of the rankings can be found here.

USTFCCCA NCAA DIVISION I
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD NATIONAL TEAM COMPUTER RANKINGS (TOP 25)
2014 Week #4 — April 29
next ranking: May 6

Rank School Points Conference Head Coach (Yr) Last Week
1 Florida 329.29 SEC Mike Holloway (12th) 2
2 Texas A&M 291.70 SEC Pat Henry (10th) 3
3 Arkansas 211.88 SEC Chris Bucknam (6th) 4
4 Oregon 208.87 Pac-12 Robert Johnson (2nd) 1
5 Georgia 180.98 SEC Wayne Norton (15th) 6
6 BYU 172.74 Independent (DI) Ed Eyestone (1st) 17
7 Texas 162.77 Big 12 Mario Sategna (1st) 15
8 Alabama 156.38 SEC Dan Waters (3rd) 9
9 Texas Tech 138.95 Big 12 Wes Kittley (15th) 10
10 LSU 136.51 SEC Dennis Shaver (10th) 8
11 Nebraska 135.19 Big Ten Gary Pepin (31st) 14
12 Southern California 134.93 Pac-12 Caryl Smith Gilbert (1st) 12
13 UCLA 124.88 Pac-12 Mike Maynard (5th) 16
14 Illinois 117.76 Big Ten Mike Turk (5th) 27
15 Baylor 116.58 Big 12 Todd Harbour (9th) 13
16 Mississippi 111.34 SEC Brian O’Neal (2nd) 11
17 Oklahoma State 107.77 Big 12 Dave Smith (6th) 22
18 Wisconsin 98.15 Big Ten Mick Byrne (1st) 7
19 Penn State 97.59 Big Ten Beth Alford-Sullivan (8th) 19
20 Pittsburgh 85.83 ACC Alonzo Webb (12th) 29
21 Kentucky 82.02 SEC Edrick Floreal (2nd) 24
22 Notre Dame 76.80 ACC Joe Piane (39th) 43
23 Georgia Tech 68.65 ACC Grover Hinsdale (34th) 42
24 Georgetown 68.58 Big East Patrick Henner (7th) 52
25 North Carolina 68.47 ACC Harlis Meaders (2nd) 35
dropped out: No. 5 Florida State, No. 18 Tennessee, No. 20 Arizona, No. 21 Mississippi State, No. 23 Cornell, No. 25 California
View All Teams Beyond the Top 25



Men’s Conference Index Top 10
Rank Conference Points Top 25 Teams
1 SEC 1717.08 8
2 Big 12 725.25 4
3 Pac-12 715.89 3
4 Big Ten 680.48 4
5 ACC 565.73 4
6 Conference USA 278.04
7 Ivy 213.09
8 American 205.02
9 Independent (DI) 173.34 1
10 Mountain West 173.31



USTFCCCA NCAA DIVISION I
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD NATIONAL TEAM COMPUTER RANKINGS (TOP 25)
2014 Week #4 — April 29
next ranking: May 6

Rank School Points Conference Head Coach (Yr) Last Week
1 Texas 342.58 Big 12 Mario Sategna (1st) 3
2 Florida 340.61 SEC Mike Holloway (7th) 2
3 Texas A&M 318.31 SEC Pat Henry (10th) 1
4 Oregon 317.00 Pac-12 Robert Johnson (2nd) 4
5 Georgia 233.38 SEC Wayne Norton (15th) 5
6 Kentucky 198.23 SEC Edrick Floreal (2nd) 6
7 LSU 190.38 SEC Dennis Shaver (10th) 8
8 Southern California 182.52 Pac-12 Caryl Smith Gilbert (1st) 7
9 Arkansas 169.66 SEC Lance Harter (24th) 9
10 Florida State 168.05 ACC Bob Braman (11th) 10
11 Arizona 128.31 Pac-12 Fred Harvey (12th) 11
12 Mississippi State 112.19 SEC Steve Dudley (4th) 25
13 Missouri 101.68 SEC Brett Halter (4th) 23
14 San Diego State 98.13 Mountain West Shelia Burrell (5th) 14
15 Baylor 96.28 Big 12 Todd Harbour (9th) 18
16 Virginia Tech 93.94 ACC Dave Cianelli (13th) 26
17 Kansas 92.71 Big 12 Stanley Redwine (14th) 12
18 Penn State 89.19 Big Ten Beth Alford-Sullivan (15th) 16
19 NC State 88.74 ACC Rollie Geiger (30th) 45
20 Michigan 87.27 Big Ten James Henry (29th) 53
21 Washington 87.20 Pac-12 Greg Metcalf (12th) 19
22 Western Kentucky 82.07 Sun Belt Erik Jenkins (7th) 35
23 Arizona State 81.70 Pac-12 Greg Kraft (18th) 20
24 Stanford 81.22 Pac-12 Chris Miltenberg (2nd) 15
25 Texas Tech 75.98 Big 12 Wes Kittley (15th) 17
droppped out: No. 13 UCLA, No. 21 Oklahoma State, No. 22 Notre Dame, No. 24 Maryland
View All Teams Beyond the Top 25




Women’s Conference Index Top 10
Rank Conference Points Top 25 Teams
1 SEC 1858.03 8
2 Pac-12 1047.46 6
3 Big 12 851.30 4
4 ACC 768.13 3
5 Big Ten 462.31 2
6 Conference USA 223.76
7 Mountain West 222.39 1
8 Mid-American 198.85
9 Ivy 156.51
10 American 146.58




U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association
1100 Poydras Street, Suite 1750
New Orleans, LA 70163

Contact: Kyle Terwillegar
Communications Assistant
kyle@ustfccca.org
(504) 599-8905







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