Men's Track Vaults Into Polls at No. 24
5/18/2010 12:00:00 AM
May 18, 2010
NEW ORLEANS - Perfect timing - the Alabama men's track and field team finds itself ranked in the top 25 for the first time during the outdoor season as the collegiate track and field postseason begins. The Crimson Tide vaulted 15 spots to No. 24 in the Week Seven Division 1 Rankings as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday.
This past weekend, No. 24 Alabama notched an 11th-place team finish at the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Nevertheless, as a result of several nationally-prominent marks, the Tide solidified itself as one of the best squads in the nation.
"I knew we were having a pretty decent meet, performance-wise," head men's track and field coach Harvey Glance said. "I told my oversight it wouldn't surprise me if we were top 25 in the country, but probably be 11th in the conference. For that to happen, it shows we've got unbelievable coaches and athletes in our league. I've gotten many calls from my peers saying they're glad they're not in the SEC. I'm glad we're here and we're a part of it. It's a tough league. I don't think one coach in our conference has not won either a conference title or a NCAA trophy."
Alabama freshman Kirani James notched the third-fastest 400 meter time (45.01) in the country and fifth-best mark in the world this year en route to winning the SEC title - James defeated the No. 1 and 3 sprinters in the world to claim the title. In addition, junior Fred Samoei improved his 800 meter mark to 1:47.15 - the seventh-best mark in the country heading into the NCAA Championship rounds.
The Crimson Tide 4x400 meter relay and 4x100 meter relay improved their times to 3:06.52 and 39.64 - the No. 13 and No. 14 best marks in the nation.
The SEC now garners nine teams in the national top 25 with No. 1 Florida, No. 5 LSU, No. 9 Auburn, No. 10 South Carolina, No. 12 Mississippi State, No. 15 Mississippi, No. 16 Georgia, No. 24 Alabama, and No. 25 Arkansas. In comparison, the Big 12 has six teams and the Pac-10 claims five in the national top 25 this week. All 11 Southeastern Conference teams are ranked in the top 40. There are 185 men's teams ranked this week.
"I actually competed in this league 30 years ago and I have never seen the depth across the board like is has been, in every event," Glance recalled. "I've always said we have a better national team than we had a conference team because conference is about quantity and nationals are about quality. I'm ecstatic about being 24th in the nation right now. It certainly makes you feel a little better as a coach, coming off an 11th place finish in the conference and then waking up two days later to find yourself No. 24 in the country. It shows we've been working. Now, we've got to move on from here and hopefully we can improve on this ranking."
Rankings this week were compiled with all final data from the 2010 outdoor season as reported to the Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). Next week's rankings will be compiled using only data from those who declared and were accepted into the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The first rounds of the championships will be held, May 27-29, in Austin, Texas (West site) and Greensboro, N.C. (East site).
The list of student-athletes, by event, who have been accepted to compete in the NCAA Championships, will be announced on the NCAA Web Site by Friday, May 21, at 5:00 p.m. (ET).
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Men's Outdoor Track & Field National Team Rankings - Week 7 | |||
| Rank | School | Points | Last Week |
| 1 | Florida | 308.81 | 3 |
| 2 | Oregon | 282.91 | 2 |
| 3 | Texas A&M | 282.02 | 1 |
| 4 | Southern California | 231.53 | 6 |
| 5 | LSU | 219.07 | 5 |
| 6 | Arizona State | 192.91 | 7 |
| 7 | Texas Tech | 187.31 | 4 |
| 8 | Florida State | 182.45 | 8 |
| 9 | Auburn | 154.23 | 9 |
| 10 | South Carolina | 151.10 | 11 |
| 11 | BYU | 143.21 | 12 |
| 12 | Mississippi State | 141.57 | 15 |
| 13 | Stanford | 139.24 | 14 |
| 14 | Oklahoma | 130.64 | 10 |
| 15 | Mississippi | 113.33 | 13 |
| 16 | Georgia | 113.19 | 24 |
| 17 | Virginia Tech | 104.20 | 21 |
| 18 | Baylor | 103.59 | 17 |
| 19 | Kansas | 101.14 | 19 |
| 20 | Nebraska | 101.02 | 16 |
| 21 | Washington | 98.79 | 20 |
| 22 | New Mexico | 93.66 | 23 |
| 23 | Penn State | 87.07 | 22 |
| 24 | Alabama | 86.85 | 39 |
| 25 | Arkansas | 81.72 | 25 |
| Dropped Out: Kansas State (18) | |||
