GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida men’s track and field team is back atop the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I National Team Computer Rankings following the removal of 2012 marks from the rankings formula.
The Gators spent six weeks of the 2012 season on top of the rankings en route to a national title, but this marks the first appearance at the apex of the rankings this outdoor season. With a number of Gators already having recorded nationally-ranked marks this season, Florida was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the removal of preseason data, gaining 57.75 net points for a total of 352.67.
18 Gator men and two relays have scored in the top 50 of the NCAA individual event standings compiled by TFRRS, including four No. 1 rankings. Sophomore Dedric Dukes (Miami, Fla.) leads the NCAA in the men’s 200 meters with a wind-aided 20.38 (+3.5). Dukes ran the opening leg on the SEC and NCAA Outdoor Champion men’s 4x400-meter relay a year ago and is now the anchor for this year’s NCAA-leading men’s 4x400-meter relay.
Joining Dukes on the relay squad is last week’s SEC Men’s Freshman of the Week Najee Glass (Woodbridge, N.J.), fellow SEC and NCAA 4x4 Champion Hugh Graham, Jr. (Miami, Fla.) and freshman NCAA Indoor All-American Arman Hall (Pembroke Pines, Fla.). The Gator foursome ran a nation’s-best 3:02.65 at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays to lead the collegiate ranks in the event.
A dynamic duo in the pit, 2013 NCAA Indoor Champion Marquis Dendy (Middletown, Del.) and 2012 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Champion Omar Craddock (Killeen, Texas) lead the NCAA in their respective events. Dendy leapt a nation-leading 8.17m/26-9.75 (+2.8) to claim the men’s long jump title at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, while Craddock jumped a new personal best of 16.43m/53-11 to take home the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays men’s triple jump title in front of his family and friends.
Including preseason polls, the Gators have spent 19 weeks at the pinnacle of the USTFCCCA rankings during the outdoor season since 2010. In those three seasons, UF has finished in the top three every season and captured the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Championship in the final event of the meet to clinch the first NCAA title outdoors in program history.
Next up for the Orange and Blue is the final weekend of the regular season, as the Gators travel to Fayetteville, Ark. for the Arkansas Spring Invitational, April 26-27, and the Payton Jordan Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif. on April 28.
For all of the latest information on Florida track and field, please log on to www.GatorZone.com/trackfield or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow Florida track and field on Twitter at @GZTrackField orwww.twitter.com/GZTrackField. You can also find the Gators on Facebook.
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USTFCCCA MEN’S RANKINGS – APRIL 23 – WEEK 4 |
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|
1 |
Florida |
352.67 |
SEC |
|
2 |
Texas A&M |
309.58 |
SEC |
|
3 |
Arkansas |
281.86 |
SEC |
|
4 |
Oregon |
259.78 |
Pac-12 |
|
5 |
Florida State |
234.61 |
ACC |
|
6 |
Texas |
187.47 |
Big 12 |
|
7 |
Georgia |
185.97 |
SEC |
|
8 |
Virginia Tech |
158.13 |
ACC |
|
9 |
Southern California |
155.07 |
Pac-12 |
|
10 |
LSU |
154.59 |
SEC |
|
11 |
Penn State |
136.81 |
Big Ten |
|
12 |
Iowa |
124.42 |
Big Ten |
|
13 |
UCLA |
116.31 |
Pac-12 |
|
14 |
Clemson |
108.76 |
ACC |
|
15 |
Nebraska |
108.36 |
Big Ten |
|
16 |
Mississippi |
104.32 |
SEC |
|
17 |
BYU |
100.70 |
Independent |
|
18 |
Texas Tech |
96.76 |
Big 12 |
|
19 |
Alabama |
93.33 |
SEC |
|
20 |
Tennessee |
91.58 |
SEC |
|
21 |
Indiana |
85.81 |
Big Ten |
|
22 |
Oklahoma |
84.03 |
Big 12 |
|
23 |
Ohio State |
82.52 |
Big Ten |
|
24 |
Kansas State |
81.00 |
Big 12 |
|
25 |
UTEP |
79.50 |
Conference USA |
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USTFCCCA WOMEN’S RANKINGS – APRIL 23 – WEEK 4 |
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|
1 |
Texas A&M |
304.95 |
SEC |
|
2 |
Kansas |
290.49 |
Big 12 |
|
3 |
Arizona |
260.80 |
Pac-12 |
|
4 |
LSU |
257.58 |
SEC |
|
5 |
Arkansas |
222.31 |
SEC |
|
6 |
Florida |
218.76 |
SEC |
|
7 |
Oregon |
217.22 |
Pac-12 |
|
8 |
Arizona State |
214.58 |
Pac-12 |
|
9 |
Georgia |
187.24 |
SEC |
|
10 |
Texas |
185.74 |
Big 12 |
|
11 |
Clemson |
178.28 |
ACC |
|
12 |
UCF |
163.19 |
Conference USA |
|
13 |
UCLA |
136.10 |
Pac-12 |
|
14 |
Stanford |
133.72 |
Pac-12 |
|
15 |
Texas Tech |
119.72 |
Big 12 |
|
16 |
Florida State |
112.84 |
ACC |
|
17 |
Illinois |
104.75 |
Big Ten |
|
18 |
Baylor |
103.54 |
Big 12 |
|
19 |
Washington |
100.24 |
Pac-12 |
|
20 |
Iowa State |
93.90 |
Big 12 |
|
21 |
San Diego State |
92.84 |
Mountain West |
|
22 |
Oklahoma |
83.86 |
Big 12 |
|
23 |
Southern California |
80.66 |
Pac-12 |
|
24 |
Kentucky |
78.92 |
SEC |
|
25 |
South Carolina |
78.74 |
SEC |