BATON ROUGE -- The LSU track and field teams have held their position among the national championship contenders throughout the 2008 outdoor season and will head into this weekend’s regional action with the No. 1 ranked teams in all of collegiate track and field.
The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association released its latest power ranking Wednesday afternoon after the NCAA announced its list of declared athletes into each of the four regional meets taking place across the country this weekend.
The weekly power ranking released by the USTFCCCA is based on the top performances of all collegiate athletes nationwide and their ranking on the NCAA descending order list.
The Tigers hold on to the No. 1 ranking for the second straight week, while the Lady Tigers return to the top spot for the first time since April 30 after being ranked No. 2 nationally in each of the past three weeks. The squads hold a slim lead over the Aggies of Texas A&M, which are the nation’s No. 2 ranked team on both the men’s and women’s sides.
This also marks the third time during the outdoor season that both the Tigers and Lady Tigers are ranked No. 1 in the country as they also swept the top spots on April 23 and April 30.
This weekend is the first step toward competing for a national championship for the Tigers and Lady Tigers as athletes look to punch their ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in two weeks while competing in the 2008 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Ark., on Friday and Saturday.
Other regional meets scheduled for this weekend include the East Regional at Florida State University in Tallahassee, the Midwest Regional at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and the West Regional at California State University-Northridge.
The 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held at Drake Stadium on the campus of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, beginning June 11. This year’s national champions will be crowned at the conclusion of the four-day meet on June 14.
USTFCCCA Top 25
MEN
1. LSU, 291.64
2. Texas A&M, 250.32
3. UCLA, 216.08
4. Florida, 212.00
5. Florida State, 204.27
6. Arizona State, 202.19
7. Arkansas, 197.73
8. Southern California, 189.99
9. Auburn, 182.01
10. Tennessee, 180.82
11. Baylor, 167.80
12. Colorado, 160.56
13. Texas, 160.01
14. Oregon, 149.61
15. UTEP, 130.68
16. South Carolina, 129.25
17. Kentucky, 126.93
18. California, 113.08
19. Arizona, 106.13
20. Nebraska, 103.85
21. Liberty, 98.48
22. TCU, 96.22
23. Mississippi State, 94.09
24. Georgia, 92.99
25. Boise State, 92.15
WOMEN
1. LSU, 340.93
2. Texas A&M, 326.91
3. Arizona State, 309.60
4. Texas Tech, 218.57
5. Southern California, 217.01
6. Virginia Tech, 214.57
7. Florida, 195.47
8. UCLA, 180.94
9. Penn State, 172.87
10. Stanford, 159.09
11. Oregon, 138.85
12. Arkansas, 137.79
13. Minnesota, 134.42
14. Tennessee, 132.79
15. Oklahoma, 131.51
16. Baylor, 129.15
17. UTEP, 125.39
18. Michigan, 115.95
19. Kansas, 110.23
20. North Carolina, 110.17
21. Texas, 101.03
22. Ole Miss, 99.96
23. TCU, 98.28
24. Miami (Fla.), 96.34
25. California, 90.72