USTFCCCA Poll
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The USTFCCCA released its preseason poll on Tuesday and the Purdue men's team earned its highest ranking in program history. The Boilermakers head into Saturday's home opener as the No. 14 team in the country.
The men's team had never been ranked higher than 21st in any USTFCCCA rankings, which began in 2008. The men's team was No. 21 in the country in last season's week six and week seven rankings, before taking 32nd at the NCAA Championships. The No. 14 ranking is 18 spots higher than last year's preseason mark, when the 32nd-ranked Boilermakers had then earned their highest preseason ranking in program history.
The men's ranking is third among Big Ten teams, behind No. 5 Penn State and No. 6 Nebraska. The Boilermakers are one spot ahead of Wisconsin, while Michigan State and Ohio State are also in the top 25. The Big Ten is tied with the SEC for the most teams in the preseason top 25 with six apiece.
The men's track and field team has only twice prior been in the top 15 in the country. In 1981, the Boilermakers finished 15th at the NCAA Championships. The highest finish in program history came in 2004 when the men, including now-throws coach Keith McBride who was a thrower on the team, took sixth in the country.
The preseason rankings are based on returning individuals performances from the prior season. Among those returning are two-time indoor Big Ten champion, and four-time overall conference champion, Raheem Mostert and Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, who currently has the nation's top mark in the weight throw and seventh-best shot put mark.
On the women's side, the Boilermakers enter the season at No. 70 in the preseason poll, due to losing the majority of last year's scorers to graduation. The women were in the top 25 in every poll last season, peaking at No. 14 in the week one and week two polls, before finishing 19th at the NCAA Championships. The women look to replace the graduates with a talented bunch of freshmen, as well as a handful of healthy upperclassmen who missed significant time a year ago with miscellaneous injuries.
The Boilermakers open the home schedule with the Gene Edmonds Invitational on Saturday at 11 a.m. ET. The meet will be held inside Lambert Fieldhouse.