University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Widen Lead Atop Track Rankings
February 13, 2008 | Men's Track
The Tennessee men???s track and field team remained in the top spot in this week???s US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) rankings released Wednesday.
Tennessee added nine points to last week???s total and has a six-point lead over second-place Arizona State after leading last week???s rankings by four points. The Vols earned 105.32 points while the Sun Devils have 99.50. Texas A&M is a distant third with 76.75 points and is followed by Oklahoma with 76.10. BYU rounds out the top five with 75.02 points.
Florida is the next SEC team, ranking seventh with 70.73 points. The Gators are followed by LSU in eighth with 68.29 points, Kentucky in 10th with 64.46, Arkansas in 11th with 63.83 and Auburn in 20th with 47.47 points. The SEC???s six ranked teams gives the conference the second-most ranked teams out of the 11 conferences represented in this week???s rankings.
The rankings use an updated scoring system based on athletes??? season-best marks to determine a team???s overall chances of making an impact at the national championship meet. The scoring system for the teams, compiled by Tom Lewis of Missouri, is the sum of its individuals??? place on the descending order list and a weighed value of those performances based on the field. The scoring method is based on the latest NCAA performance list.
Tennessee???s team score consists of one relay and nine individual performances. Rubin Williams, the reigning Trackshark.com National Male Performer of the Week, leads the Vols with his top standing in the 200-meter dash and fifth-place spot in the 60. Team captain Jangy Addy moved to first in the 60 hurdles and also debuts at 30th in the long jump rankings. Three-time All-America Evander Wells is ranked third in the 200 and also scores fifth in the 60. Williams has recorded three of the top-four fastest 200 times in the world this year, including his world-leading 20.66 clocking, and Wells is sixth on the world list in the event.
Team captain Michael Hogue is 12th in the pole vault. Senior Andrew Dawson is 10th in the 800, and sophomore De???Lon Isom makes his debut in the rankings at 23rd in the 60 hurdles. Tennessee???s 4x400 relay team of Samdi Fraser, Kyle Stevenson, Williams and Wells scores in 11th place. Each of Tennessee???s scoring performances is an NCAA-qualifying mark.
The complete rankings can be found at USTFCCCA.org.
The Vols are off this weekend and resume competition Feb. 22-23 at the Virginia Tech Challenge in Blacksburg, Va.
| USTFCCCA NCAA DIVISION I RANKINGS | |
| 1. TENNESSEE | 105.32 |
| 2. Arizona State | 99.50 |
| 3. Texas A&M | 76.75 |
| 4. Oklahoma | 76.10 |
| 5. BYU | 75.02 |
| 6. Boise State | 73.62 |
| 7. Florida | 70.73 |
| 8. LSU | 68.29 |
| 9. Northern Iowa | 67.40 |
| 10. Kentucky | 64.46 |
| 11. Arkansas | 63.83 |
| 12. Oregon | 63.78 |
| 13. Texas | 60.88 |
| 14. Clemson | 59.39 |
| 15. UCLA | 58.81 |
| 16. Texas Tech | 57.95 |
| 17. Nebraska | 57.06 |
| 18. Florida State | 53.43 |
| 19. Georgetown | 47.92 |
| 20. Auburn | 47.47 |
| 21. Baylor | 46.18 |
| 22. Kansas | 45.15 |
| 23. Liberty | 42.65 |
| 24. Princeton | 42.15 |
| 25. Michigan | 40.94 |
