Tennessee and Illinois are the top two teams in the first DI Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field Rating Indexes from USTFCCCA.
The ratings index serves as rankings for the indoor track and field season, differing from the coaches' poll in cross country. The ratings index is objectively built using qualifying marks from the current season. With the indoor season still in its genesis, these rankings could quickly change as more athletes begin to take the track as we near championship season.
Nonetheless, let's look at the top teams as of Jan. 27, 2025.
Tennessee and Illinois lead the way
Tennessee is the top men's team in the country. The Aggies have eight top-10 marks and 15 top-20 marks. The Vols have the nation's two fastest sprinters this year after a pair of 6.49 second 60 meters from Traunard Folson and Davonte Howell.
T'Mars McCallum ran 6.59 in the 60 for ninth nationally, while the 4x400 relay squad has run the seventh fastest time.
Across the field events, Clarke Byram and Cade Gray both cleared the nation's eighth-best height in the pole vault at 5.61m. Gray also has the nation's third-best long jump at 7.97m. Aidan Ifkovits rounds out the top-10 marks with a 22.35m weight throw, No. 8 in the country.
Illinois is the top women's team in the country to open for the third straight season. Like past indoor seasons, the Fighting Illini have found success from its field event athletes. Sophia Beckmon leads the nation with her 6.81m long jump, while Mia Morello sits second nationally with her 4.50m pole vault.
Illinois also has an impressive group of triple jumpers and weight throwers, too. Romi Tamir and Mercy Honesty have the second- and fourth-best triple jumps while Katharina Graman comes in 12th as the third Illini to glide over 13 meters in the air. Jordan Koskondy, Phethisang Makhethe and Oluwatomilayo Akintude all are in the top-10 nationally in the weight throw.
It only makes sense that a team with such variety among top field event marks also has elite combined event athlete performances. Luci Kienast and JaiCieonna Gero-Holt have the nation's top-two point totals in the Pentathlon this year.
Full rankings:
Defending champs land in the top five
Men's defending indoor champion Southern California opens the season ranked No. 30. The Trojans haven't had too many performances so far, but their 4x400 meter relay leads the nation with its 3:02.99 finish at the Stan Scott Invite. The season is picking up for USC, so keep an eye out for their 60 meters, where they already have three athletes among the top 23 performers.
Women's defending indoor champion Oregon opens the season ranked No. 9. The Ducks have largely been paced by their mid-distance and distance runners. Wilma Neilsen has the nation's second-fastest mile and 10th-fastest 3000 meters. She's joined in the 3K by Juliet Cherubet and Dalia Frias in the top-six and Bahiya El Arfaoui at No. 14. Oregon also has top-25 marks in the 5000 meters, 60 hurdles and pole vault.
FAST START: Eight track and field performances you may have missed from December
Schools with two top-10 teams
Four schools have top 10 men's and women's programs. See the teams in the table below.
| School | Men's Ranking | Women's ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia | No. 2 | No. 2 |
| Texas Tech | No. 3 | No. 6 |
| Illinois | No. 9 | No. 1 |
| South Carolina | No. 10 | No. 3 |
SCHEDULE: The top indoor track and field meets to watch in 2026
Top men's teams breakdown
- No. 2 Georgia
- Is this the year Georgia capitalizes on recent years of top recruiting classes? Freshmen Maurice Gleaton Jr. (No. 5, 60m), Jonathan Simms (No. 1, 400m), Sidi Njie (No. 2 400m) and Le'Ezra Brown (No. 7, 60h) look the part.
- No. 3 Kansas State
- Travis Geopfert is in year two at Kansas State after winning multiple titles as an assistant at Arkansas. Geopfert has and elite stable of field event athletes with the national leader in the high jump, three of the top four triple jumps, two of the top seven weight throws and the nation's 10th-best long jump.
RECORD TRACKER: Every track and field record broken in 2026
Top women's teams breakdown
- No. 2 Georgia
- Like the men, the Georgia women have also pulled in top recruits in recent years. It worked out for the women last outdoor season with a title. Now indoors, the Bulldogs have picked up where they left off with 18 top-20 marks.
- No. 3 South Carolina
- South Carolina already had a loaded sprints group with Zaya Akins, the current national-leader in the 400 meters and former NCAA champion JaMeesia Ford. With the addition of Alexis Brown from DII Lenoir-Rhyne, the Gamecocks have the ability to score plenty in the sprints. Moreover, Salma Elbadra's 8:41.76 in the 3000 meters leads the country to balance out the roster.
DEFENDING: Every returning champion for the 2026 DI indoor track and field season
Non-top-10 teams to watch
- No. 16 Alabama women
- Alabama has a top-eight mark from Doris Lemngole... in the mile. Once the reigning Bowerman winner opens up in the 3K and 5K, the Tide will rise up the charts. With some help from freshman distance runners and a deeper stable of field event athletes, Alabama could be a dark horse for the podium.
- No. 23 Southern California women
- USC only ranks 23rd after a third-place finish last year. Yet, the Trojans have six 60 meter sprinters in the top 50 nationally. A few good meets and USC will be back in the top 10.
- No. 25 Arkansas women
- Arkansas only has Kaylyn Brown in the top 25 nationally in the 400 meters. Sanu Jallow-Lockhart's 600 meter record doesn't count towards the TFRI. The Razorbacks should climb the rankings by the time conference meets arrive
- No. 30 Southern California men
- See above
- No. 45 Auburn men
- Auburn has consistently competed for national titles in the last two years, solely relying on its sprint unit. So far, the Tigers have just two men in the top-10 of sprints in Omari Lewis (No. 7, 60m) and Azeem Fahmi (No. 10, 60m). As more sprinters — including Bowerman finalist Ja'Kobe Tharp — open their season, the Tigers should get back to contending status.
🧠 WHAT TO KNOW: Comparing indoor and outdoor seasons | Wind and scoring explained | Greatest venues | Best uniforms
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.
