Grand Canyon, NM State Top The 2023 WAC Indoor Track & Field Pre-Championships Coaches Poll
Grand Canyon, NM State Top The 2023 WAC Indoor Track & Field Pre-Championships Coaches Poll
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ARLINGTON, Texas – Grand Canyon and NM State were predicted to take home the team trophies according to the 2023 TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Indoor Track & Field Pre-Championship Coaches Poll that was released on Tuesday.
Grand Canyon, the defending six-time WAC men’s champion, was slotted ahead of Utah Valley, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin and Abilene Christian in the men’s projected top five for the championship meet at The Podium in Spokane, Washington. NM State outpointed defending WAC women’s champion Grand Canyon, Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston and Utah Valley in the top-five women’s squads entering the championship meet.
2023 WAC INDOOR TRACK & FIELD PRE-CHAMPIONSHIP POLLS
2023 WAC Men’s ITF Pre-Championship Coaches Poll
|
Rank
|
Team
|
|
1.
|
Grand Canyon
|
|
2.
|
Utah Valley
|
|
3.
|
Southern Utah
|
|
4.
|
Stephen F. Austin
|
|
5.
|
Abilene Christian
|
|
6.
|
UT Arlington
|
|
7.
|
Sam Houston
|
|
8.
|
Tarleton
|
|
9.
|
Seattle U
|
|
10.
|
UTRGV
|
2023 WAC Women’s ITF Pre-Championship Coaches Poll
|
Rank
|
Team
|
|
1.
|
NM State
|
|
2.
|
Grand Canyon
|
|
3.
|
Stephen F. Austin
|
|
4.
|
Sam Houston
|
| |
Utah Valley
|
|
6.
|
Southern Utah
|
|
7.
|
Abilene Christian
|
|
8.
|
UT Arlington
|
|
9.
|
Tarleton
|
|
10.
|
UTRGV
|
|
11.
|
Seattle U
|
|
12.
|
Utah Tech
|
GCU LOOKS TO DEFEND CONFERENCE TITLES FROM A YEAR AGO
Grand Canyon completed a sweep of the team hardware at the 2022 WAC Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The GCU men scored 201.5 points to race past closest pursuers Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston (96.5 points) a season ago, while the Lopes took the women’s title by just five points (112) over runner-up Stephen F. Austin (107 points).
LOPES MEN CHASING SEVENTH STRAIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Grand Canyon is seeking its seventh straight WAC Indoor Championship on the men’s side, winning every indoor conference championship meet that has been contested dating back to 2016. That marks the most consecutive meet wins by a WAC men’s program since BYU swept the competition for 10 straight seasons from 1990-1999.
WAC IN THE REGIONAL RANKINGS
Utah Valley was eighth in the Mountain Region of the most recent USTFCCCA DI Men’s Indoor Track & Field Regional Team Rankings that were released on Feb. 20. Also checking in as a top-10 regional team was Grand Canyon at number nine in the West Region, with Stephen F. Austin (12th) and UT Arlington (14th) adding top-15 placements in the South Central Region.
On the women’s side, Stephen F. Austin checked in seventh in the South Central Region in the latest USTFCCCA DI Women’s Indoor Track & Field Regional Team Rankings. NM State was eighth in the Mountain Region, Grand Canyon was 13th in the West Region and Southern Utah was 14th in the Mountain Region to highlight WAC teams.
ABOUT THE PODIUM
Sitting high on 15-foot basalt outcropping, overlooking downtown Spokane and connected to Riverfront Park, The Podium is located in the heart of downtown Spokane. This spectacular setting creates the ultimate backdrop for sports events, allowing fans and athletes to walk to Spokane’s finest hotels, restaurants, retail, and entertainment options. The Podium is strategically positioned near Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena and Spokane Convention Center making Spokane a premier destination for a wide variety of combined events.
--WAC--