Georgia Women on the Rise in the Latest Division I Outdoor T&F National Team Rankings

NEW ORLEANS – It was a quiet week for nearly every team in the week two edition of the Division I National Team Computer Rankings released Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

For everyone but the Georgia women, that is.

The Lady Bulldogs jumped three spots to No. 5 behind newly minted American Junior Record holder Kendell Williams in the heptathlon, while each of the top four women’s teams and the top six men’s squads held steady.

Williams’ score of 6018 surpassed the former record of 5678 held by Ellannee Richardson of Washington State from 1999 and the all-time US Junior best 5754w from 1981 by UCLA’s  Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Joining Williams as a Division I leader was Leonita Kallenou in the high jump.

Behind those two and a pair of other top-five performances, the Bulldogs improved their team rankings score by 80 points from last week to 238.77. No other team, men or women, improved by more than 22 points.

Women’s Top Five 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Texas A&M 396.89 pts Florida 349.08 pts Texas 320.26 pts Oregon 250.13 pts Georgia 238.77 pts View Complete Women’s Rankings

Remaining in line ahead of Georgia was No. 1 Texas A&M (396.89), No. 2 Florida (349.08), No. 3 Texas (320.26) and No. 4 Oregon (250.13). The Aggies were able to extend their advantage over the Gators by 24 points.

On the men’s side, No. 1 Florida (331.99) came back to the pack but retained a lead over No. 2 Oregon (307.27), No. 3 Arkansas (291.61) and No. 4 Texas A&M (283.07). Also holding steady at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, were Florida State (197.05) and Wisconsin (187.26).

Men’s Top Five 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Florida 331.99 pts Oregon 307.27 pts Arkansas 291.61 pts Texas A&M 283.07 pts Florida State 197.05 pts View Complete Men’s Rankings

The first movement came with No. 7 Alabama (171.27) and No. 8 Texas Tech (167.47) both moving up two spots to lead a pack of eight teams within 20 points of one another.

By position, the biggest gainers of the week were the No. 23 Missouri women with a five-spot improvement and the No. 24 Illinois men after a six-slot increase.

The purpose and methodology of the rankings is to create an index that showcases the teams that have the best potential of achieving the top spots in the national team race. Rankings points do not equate with NCAA Championships team points. A full description of the rankings can be found here.

Preseason marks will be included in the rankings calculations through the week three edition.