Tide Men'sTrack Moves Into Top Ten

The Alabama men’s track and field team jumped all the way into the Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's (USTFCCCA) Division I Outdoor Track and Field Rankings to claim the No. 9 spot. Alabama entered the outdoor season unranked but after two successful weekends the Tide catapulted into the top-10 in the latest rankings.

“This is what our coaching staff and I have been working hard for,” Alabama Coach Harvey Glance said. “We want to make a difference and be a program that every kid in the world wants to look at. “We have the athletes to make that happen. This vilifies what kind of team we are.”

In just two weeks, Alabama has claimed numerous regional qualifying marks and set the tone for the rest of the outdoor season. Distance aces Emmanuel Bor, Tyson David, and Augustus Maiyo have all turned in NCAA times. Michael Cooley and Tim Grier have also etched their names atop the nation’s top times list.

The Texas A&M Men's Track and Field team jumped 15 spots to claim the No. 1 spot in the latest poll. Joining the Aggies (257.54 points) in the top-five are Florida (249.43), UCLA (246.32), LSU (230.40), and UTEP (184.99). UTEP was ranked No. 24 in the preseason poll, but used a strong team performance at the Texas Relays to climb 19 spots in this week's rankings.

Florida State, the No. 1 team in the Preseason Rankings, is sixth in the current poll with 165.93 points. Arizona State (150.97) moved up one spot to seventh place. BYU (150.64), Alabama (144.40) and Mississippi State (142.87), none of which were in the Top 25 of the Preseason Rankings, conclude the top-10.

The 2008 USTFCCCA Division I Rankings are released on Wednesdays during the outdoor season. The rankings are compiled by Tom Lewis, assistant sports information director at Missouri.

Alabama will continue its outdoor season in the Valley of the Sun at the 29th Sun Angel Classic on the campus of Arizona State University. The meet will begin on Friday.