One national poll and one sort-of-related regional survey both have Incarnate Word’s men’s track and field team among the elite as the spring schedules approach the halfway mark.
The first listings of the season from the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) put UIW at eighth in the South Central region and 63 nationally. One does not necessarily lead to the other.
At the regional level the Cardinals are rated as a team overall, all events considered. In the April 5 voting Angelo State was the top regional team followed in order by Pittsburg State (Kan) and Central Missouri.
A year from now UIW will be competing as a member of the Lone Star Conference and that league in addition to Angelo State is represented by Tarleton State at five, Abilene Christian at seven and West Texas A&M at 10 in the USTFCCCA regional poll.
The national rankings are based on how individuals and relay teams from each school have performed leading to an accumulation of points. And not all Division II schools have compiled points so far. The 63rd position for Incarnate Word is among 121 teams to make the chart.
The top teams in the nation the first week in order are St. Augustine’s (NC), Chico State (Calif) and Alaska / Anchorage.
UIW’s Steven Young is leading the way for the Cardinals as he is 12th in the nation with a distance of 7.02 meters (23.5 feet) in the long jump. Shayn Weidner is 15th among national steeple chasers with his season best of 9:24.84. The third Cardinal among the top 20 in an event is Sebastien Jaraba-Heffner whose time of 1:53.29 is 16th in the 800-meters.
Other points for UIW have come from the 4x400 relay team which has a time of 3:16.89 and that is 25th. At 32nd in the shot put is Zach Zellars with a toss of 15.53 meters (50-11.50 feet).
The next polls are set for release on April 13.