University of Tennessee Athletics
VOLS TIED FOR 15TH IN TRACKWIRE POLL, 16TH BY USTFCCCA
February 08, 2007 | Men's Track
Feb. 8, 2007
After finishing third at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational this past weekend, the Tennessee men's track and field team is tied for 15th in this week's Trackwire poll. The Vols are projected to score 11 points at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Chris Helwick is ranked third in the heptathlon, as he has been since the first poll of the season, in this week's Dandy Dozen rankings. Rubin Williams is ranked fourth in the 200 and 10th in the 60. Freshman Evander Wells, after running a provisional-qualifying time of 6.68 in the 60, the eighth-fastest time in school history last weekend, is ranked ninth in the event.
Auburn retained its lead in the poll with 45 points, followed by Florida State in second with 44 points. Arkansas is third this week with 39 points. Wisconsin ranks fourth this week with 38 points and Washington rounds out the top five with 34 points. Florida (10th, 18 points), South Carolina (11th, 16 points) and LSU (19th, 10 points) are also ranked, giving the SEC six teams in the poll.
The Trackwire 25 projects a hypothetical score for the NCAA meet, factoring in injury reports and other variables supported by information gathered from coaches and NCAA-qualifying competitions across the country. This projection is generated by scoring the Dandy Dozen, a power ranking of the top-12 athletes and relay squads in each NCAA event.
The factors used to build the D12 include quantitative values that measure performances in past major competitions (such as conference championships, national championships and Olympic competition), durability and freedom from injuries, demonstrated ability to compete well in multiple rounds of competition, ability in other events, head-to-head competition with other top athletes, and personal or seasonal bests. The complete poll can be found at www.trackwire.com.
The Vols slipped one spot to 16th in this week's U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll.
Florida State, the defending outdoor champions, leads the rankings. SEC foes Arkansas and Auburn are ranked second and third, respectively. Wisconsin is fourth and Texas is fifth to round out the top five. South Carolina is ranked ninth, Florida is 11th and LSU is 15th in this week's poll, giving the SEC more ranked teams than any other conference.
Thirty-five coaches, including one representative from each Division I conference, vote in the USTFCCCA Division I indoor poll. The complete poll can be found at www.ustfccca.com.
