Florida Favored In NCAA DI Women’s Pre-Championships National Team Rankings

NOTE: A previous version of this article mistakenly included the rankings table for the week six edition at the bottom of the post. The correct information has been added.

NEW ORLEANS — By this time next week, a new champion will have been crowned in NCAA Division I Women’s Indoor Track & Field.

NCAA Division I National Team Rankings Top 5 – Women 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Florida Oregon Georgia Arkansas Texas 155.54 pts 149.51 pts 143.16 pts 119.50 pts 99.33 pts View Complete Women’s National Team Computer Rankings

That’s not to discount 2015 titlist Arkansas‘ chances at repeating, but history doesn’t smile favorably upon the Razorbacks.

In four of the past six years, the top-ranked team in the pre-NCAA Indoor Championships edition of the National Team Computer Rankings won the national title. Coincidentally, Arkansas continued that trend last year.

The most recent rankings, which were released Monday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) and are based off actual entries to the national meet, projected Florida as this year’s favorite. If the Gators do capture national glory, it would be the team’s first crown since 1992.

The NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships are set to begin Friday in Birmingham, Alabama at the Birmingham CrossPlex. We’ll be there to bring you inside the action.

Based off the quantity of entries, it would appear as if second-ranked Oregon should be the clubhouse leader. The Ducks garnered 16 bids, compared to Florida’s 10 (tied with third-ranked Georgia for third most). Even the fourth-ranked Razorbacks (12) have more entries than the Gators.

Quality, however, matters more than quantity in these rankings.

Florida has eight — count them, eight — top-5 seeds at NCAAs. Shayla Sanders (1st, 60), Kyra Jefferson (2nd, 200; 4th, 400), Darrielle McQueen (2nd, TJ; 5th, LJ), Yanis David (3rd, TJ), Robin Reynolds (5th, 400) and the 4×400 team (3rd) will all be relied upon to score big points for the Gators.

The second most top-5 seeds in the meet belong to the Bulldogs, who have six. Those entries come from three talented athletes — Kenturah Orji (1st, TJ; 5th, LJ), Chanice Porter (2nd, LJ; 3rd, HJ) and Kendell Williams (2nd, pentathlon; 3rd HJ).

Eighth-ranked Michigan is next with five, while Arkansas, Oregon and fifth-ranked Texas tallied four.

Florida’s best chance at scoring major points will come in the sprints as they have five top-5 seeds there. And while the Gators have three top-5 seeds in the horizontal jumps, Georgia has two there as well as three in the high jump.

The Ducks must hope their standout sprinters — Jasmine Todd (3rd, 60) and Hannah Cunliffe (4th, 60) — can counter Florida’s legion and then Raevyn Rogers (1st, 800) does what she is known to do in the mid-distance.

Elsewhere in the rankings, the Wolverines moved up one spot from last week behind their five top-5 entries. Michigan has a top-5 entrant in the mile (Shannon Osika), 3000/5000 (Erin Finn is in both), 60 Hurdles (Cindy Ofili) and DMR.

Seventh-ranked Notre Dame also jumped one spot thanks to what’s expected out of 2015 NCAA XC champ Molly Seidel. The senior is first in the 5000 and second in the 3000 and will be going head to head with Boise State freshman phenom Allie Ostrander in each race.

The biggest move by any team, in any direction, was that of NC State. The Wolfpack fell seven spots from last week’s poll, down to No. 20. That allowed Southern California, Wisconsin, Duke, Purdue and Texas A&M to all trend upward.