Full USTFCCCA Week 1 Ratings Index
HAVERFORD, Pa. - A strong showing from Greg Morgan at the TCNJ Invitational on January 12 has boosted the Haverford College men's indoor track & field team to the No. 6 spot in the first regular season release of the NCAA Division III National Rating Index, the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced in a release on Tuesday afternoon.
The ratings index, first introduced during the 2011 campaign, is a mathematical formula that is tabulated using the top performances in the nation so far during the 2019 campaign as well as the top 2018 finishes of returning student-athletes. Last season, Haverford finished 13th at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama. Haverford's strength in the tabulation lies in distance events, with national impacts expected in the mile, 3,000 meters, and 5,000 meters.
Morgan's 8:14.56 mark in the 3,000 meters buoyed the Fords to 22.12 total points in the calculation. Morgan's time is the fastest in Division III so far this season and represents the fourth-fastest individual mark in program history. Morgan picked up Centennial Conference Track Athlete of the Week following the performance.
The top five squads in the rankings include North Central (Ill.), Wisconsin-Oshkosh, defending champion Mount Union, Wisconsin-Whitewater, and MIT. Haverford edged out Wisconsin-La Crosse for sixth while Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Dubuque, and Southern Maine round out the top 10. Haverford is the only Centennial Conference squad to rank within the top 25.
Haverford will have another chance to move up the rankings on Saturday as the Fords host the McElligott Invitational inside the Alumni Field House. The annual late January home meet will begin at 10:30 a.m.