Bulldog track and field squads ranked in USTFCCCA’s NAIA top 10
SEWARD, Neb. – In a new computer rating released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Wednesday, both head coach Kregg Einspahr’s men’s and women’s teams rank amongst the NAIA’s top 10 squads. The Concordia men check in at No. 5 nationally while the women rank No. 8. View the complete ratings HERE.
The USTFCCCA calculated the ratings based on the NAIA individual lists of top marks that are available via the Track and Field Results Reporting System. With 15 individual marks on the men’s side and 12 on the women’s side that rank in the top 20 nationally, the lofty national team placements come as little surprise.
Via the USTFCCA: “The highest-ranked individuals or relay teams for each event are assigned the most points, and the point values decrease further down the descending order list. Team scores are equal to the sum of all the point-earning student-athletes’ scores across all events for a given team.”
Three Bulldogs currently rank as runner ups in their respective events on the national lists: Cody Boellstorff (weight throw), Jamie Crouse (weight throw) and Carson Farr (pole vault). Concordia competitors also hold an additional 10 marks that land in the top 10 of the NAIA.
The program is no stranger to the national scene. On the men’s side, the Bulldogs have finished in the top 25 nationally 13 times since 1997 in indoor track (runner up in 2000) and another seven times since 2005 in outdoor track. Einspahr’s women’s teams have had similar success with 11 top 25 claims since 1997 in indoor track and six since 2005 at outdoor championships.
The computer ratings are also a reflection of the strength of the GPAC as the conference leads the NAIA with six women’s teams in the top 25 and five men’s teams in the top 25.
Qualification for the NAIA Championships will not be determined in any way by these rankings, which are not officially sanctioned or endorsed by the NAIA for the 2014 season. These rankings are supported by the NAIA from the standpoint of media and entertainment purposes only.
Cartier and the Bulldogs return to action this weekend at the Concordia Classic held on Friday and Saturday in the Walz Field House. The schedule of events is available HERE.
WEBCAST ON SATURDAY: Select events will be webcast live via the Concordia Sports Network during Saturday’s portion of the Concordia Classic. The webcast will begin at 11 a.m. and run through the conclusion of the meet. Please note that the location of CSN cameras best suits the broadcast of running events. Other events may not be featured as much.
