Tennessee Men Ranked No. 1, Women No. 8 In Initial USTFCCCA National TFRI

Tennessee Men Ranked No. 1, Women No. 8 In Initial USTFCCCA National TFRI

January 27, 2026 | Track & Field

Men's USTFCCCA Rankings Women's USTFCCCA Rankings

NEW ORLEANS – Tennessee men's track & field claimed the top spot in the first release of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Track & Field Rating Index (TFRI) that was unveiled Tuesday morning.

The Volunteers earned a nation-leading 127.49 points in the NCAA Division I Men's TFRI, edging No. 2 Georgia (127.28). Kansas State (107.85), Texas Tech (106.45) and Texas A&M (106.27) rounded out the top five.

On the women's side, the Lady Vols were ranked No. 8 nationally with 77.52 points. Tennessee also stood as the third-highest rated SEC program in the Division I Women's TFRI.

Tennessee has surged out of the gates in the 2026 indoor campaign, boasting eight top-10 performances on the NCAA Division I men's performance list, highlighted by the nation's top mark in the 60-meter dash. Davonte Howell and Traunard Folson each clocked 6.49 at the Clemson Invitational in early January, setting NCAA and world leads for 2026 while ranking among the top 15 performers in collegiate history.

UT's NCAA top-10 marks on the men's side include:

Davonte Howell – 60m – 6.49 (No. 1)
Traunard Folson – 60m – 6.49 (No. 1)
T'Mars McCallum – 60m – 6.59 (No. 9)
Saad Hinti, Andre Jackson II, Calvin Wetzel, Harry Barton – 4x400m Relay – 3:05.13 (No. 7)
Clarke Byram – Pole Vault – 5.61m / 18-4.75 (No. 8)
Cade Gray – Pole Vault – 5.61m / 18-4.75 (No. 8)
Cade Gray – Long Jump – 7.97m / 26-1.75 (No. 3)
Aidan Ifkovits – Weight Throw – 22.35m / 73-4 (No. 8)

The Lady Vols own four NCAA Division I top-10 marks that fueled their No. 8 national ranking:

Faith Okwose – 60m – 7.21 (No. 7)
Esther Joseph – 200m – 23.11 (No. 3)
Javonya Valcourt, Esther Joseph, Cydney Wright, Kaniya Johnson – 4x400m Relay – 3:29.31 (No. 3)
Tula Fawbush, Jounee Armstrong, Ka'Myya Haywood, Mary Nyaboke Ogwoka – Distance Medley Relay – 11:18.18 (No. 3)

The Big Orange continues the 2025-26 indoor season this weekend with a split schedule. Most of the roster will compete at Clemson's Bob Pollock Invitational, while a select group of distance runners heads to Boston University for the John Thomas Terrier Classic. Both meets are set for Friday and Saturday, Jan. 30-31.