Just over a month out from the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships, theTexas A&M men continue to relentlessly make up ground in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Team Computer Rankings.
The National Team Computer Rankings are designed to forecast how teams might fare at the NCAA Championships, which this year will be contested March 11-12 at the CrossPlex in Birmingham, Alabama.The No. 2 Aggies’ strong early-season surge continued this past weekend as they drew ever closer to No. 1 Florida in the week three edition of the National Team Computer Rankings announced Monday by the USTFCCCA.
The USTFCCCA Rankings’ methodology does not correlate directly with the NCAA Championships scoring system. Points are designated using the USTFCCCA individual rankings, which take into account both the top previous-season marks from top returners and the best performances of 2016.Boosted by Devin Jenkins’ 20.58 over 200 meters for the second-fastest time in the USTFCCCA Individual rankings, the Aggies checked in with 117.23 points in the computer rankings – up 13 from a week ago and just 12 shy of the Gators’ 129.26.
It’s important to note that this is the final edition of the National Team Computer Rankings that will utilize previous season data in the rankings formula. Starting next week, only performances logged during the 2015-16 season will count. In that department, Texas A&M has been much stronger than Florida so far.
That combined with the numerous de facto regular-season finale meets around the country this weekend – the Arkansas Tyson Invitational, the Washington Husky Classic, the Iowa State Classic, the New Mexico Don Kirby Elite, and so on – promises a much different looking week four edition of the National Team Computer Rankings next Monday.
In the main four-team chase pack in pursuit of Florida and A&M, No. 3 Virginia Tech (96.80) and No. 4 LSU(95.79) both moved up one spot from a week ago as Texas (94.99) dropped two to No. 5. Two-time defending national champion Oregon (92.56) remained No. 6.
No. 7 Tennessee (73.58) and No. 9 TCU (71.68) swapped spots from a week ago, as No. 8 Arkansas (72.43) and No. 10 Georgia (69.24) held firm to round out the top 10. For the Volunteers, both pole vaulter Jake Blankenship and sprinter Christian Coleman took at least a share of the collegiate lead in their respective events this past weekend.
No current top-25 men’s team in the country made bigger strides over the weekend than No. 19 NC State. Just as Jonathan Addison sailed into a tie atop the collegiate long jump leaderboard, his Wolfpack men sailed six spots upward from a week ago.
