Dillard’s Men’s Track & Field Program Is Ranked No. 37 Nationally In The Final USTFCCCA National Poll

New Orleans  – The Dillard men's track & field program is ranked at No. 37 nationally in the 10th and final released 2022 USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll, the organization announced recently. The team down a total of 20 spots from last week's national ranking.

Dillard received a total of nine points in the poll based on having seven All-Americans at the 2022 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The program was ranked No. 5 in the first national poll, No. 7 in the second released poll, No. 8 for each of the next two weeks and then fell six spots to No. 14 in the fifth week despite winning their second consecutive GCAC Outdoor Championship on Saturday, April 23. The program fell another four spots in the sixth week to rank No. 18 nationally. Last week the program again dropped four spots to No. 22 despite not having competed as a squad since April 23 and being one of the few NAIA programs to garner an invitation to compete at the prestigious Penn Relays on April 29. In the eighth week the program moved up one spot to No. 21 on May 17. In the ninth week, DU skyrocketed up to 17.  

Dillard is the only school from the GCAC and one of two from the state of Louisiana (XULA) to be ranked in the final poll.

Two weeks ago, the Dillard men were ranked No. 11 in the USTFCCCA South Region Poll.

Dillard sent a total of nine student-athletes to the 2022 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships from May 25-27. The team's 4x100m relay team of Willie McCaulley, Cody Branch, Kaleb McClendon and Jamaal Morris Jr. had the top time in the preliminaries at 40.42, but were not able to record a score and finish in the finals of the event. Branch placed ninth nationally in the 200m (21.34). Morris finished fourth in the finals of the 200m (21.10), after placing third in the event during the preliminaries. McClendon earned 33rd place in the 200m (22.09). Morris placed ninth in the 100m (10.59). Branch finished 16th in the 100m (10.64).  Morris placed sixth in the preliminaries of the 400m with a school record time of 47.48. He ended up placing sixth in the finals of the 400m (47.55). Branch finished 18th in the 400m (48.79). The 4x400m relay team of Branch, Morris, Christopher Watson and Joshun Noel ended up being All-Americans in their event this year by finishing eighth overall (3:18.68). Julian Williams finished 20th in the triple jump (14.36m).

Dillard won the 2022 GCAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship for the fourth time since 2010 on Saturday, April 23. The program had 15 event victories and 40 All-GCAC selections over the course of the two-days of competition. The program followed that up by seeing Jamaal Morris Jr. place 17th in the 100m at the Penn Relays on April 29. DU saw their 4x100 relay team of Morris, Branch, McClendon and McCaulley get the invitation to the meet, but were not able to compete due to injury. The six All-Americans for the men this year during outdoor season were the most for a Dillard track program since the women's team had nine outdoor in 2016. It was the most for a men's program since at least 1999 when accurate records could be confirmed. This year's six outdoor All-Americans were Morris. (200m and 400m) and the 4x400m relay team of Branch, Noel, Watson and Morris. Morris also was an NAIA Indoor All-American this season in the 200m.

The poll was voted on by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences around the country.

2022 USTFCCCA National Men's Track & Field TFRI (Track & Field Rating Index) Poll – No. 10 (5/31/22)

           
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