2021 NAIA Women's Outdoor Track & Field Rating Index – Week 1

NEW ORLEANS – The outdoor season is underway!
Here is the first edition of the NAIA Women’s Outdoor Track & Field National Rating Index for the 2021 season, as released on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
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Concordia (Neb.) will start the outdoor campaign at No. 1. The Bulldogs earned 16 national top-10 efforts over the weekend. Adrianna Shaw has three of them, as she is the national leader in the discus (45.36m/148-10), No. 4 in the hammer (51.83m/170-1) and No. 6 in the shot put (13.22m/43-4½). Erin Mapson also adds the No. 2 performance in the pole vault (3.65m/11-11¾). The field events have come up big for the Bulldogs, with two other athletes ranked in the top-10 in both the pole vault and shot put.
Southeastern (Fla.) comes in at No. 2 to start the year with efforts that rank in the top-5 nationally, including two national leading marks from Yuriah Bigos in the 400 (56.03) and the 4×400 (3:46.96). Jaqual Bush and Namiah Simpson also turned in two strong early season performances: Bush is No. 2 in the 300 (24.02w) and No. 5 in the 100 (11.95); Simpson is No. 2 in both the 400 (56.25) and 400H (1:01.54). The Fire’s 4×100 also has the second fastest time of the early season (45.90).
Indiana Tech is No. 3 in Week 1 and has 10 top-10 nationally ranked performances, with seven sitting in the top-5: Destiny Copeland turned in two No. 2 performances in the long jump (6.00m/19-8 ¼) and the triple jump (12.15m/39-10½); Renique Smith is No. 2 in the heptathlon (4325); Carlie Turner is No. 5 in the long jump (5.70mw/18-8½); Mariam Davis is No. 5 in the heptathlon (4008) The Warriors also has two relays ranked in the top-3: the 4×400 (No. 2, 3:53.75) and 4×100 (No. 3, 46.49).
Wayland Baptist (Texas) is ranked No. 4. Of its 10 top-10 nationally ranked marks, seven of them sit in the top-5. Pacing the team is Raheema Westfall, as she is the national leader in the 200 (23.98) and No. 2 in the 100 (11.65c/11.62A). Coshan Campbell and Safia Bright each add a pair of ranked marks to the Pioneers’ haul: Campbell is No. 2 in the 800 (2:15.17c/2:15.62A) and No. 4 in the 400 (56.82); Bright is No. 3 in both the 100 (11.80c/11.77A) and 200 (24.47cw/24.40A). The Pioneers also have the top-ranked 4×100 (45.53c/45.41A).
Rounding out the top-5 is William Carey (Miss.). Of the program’s seven top-7 marks, four of them are national leaders. Brittany Jones is the owner of two of them, as she is the national leader in both the long jump (6.16m/20-2½) and triple jump (12.25m/40-2¼). Aniekeme Etim has the fastest time in the 100 (11.45) and Joy Abu is the top-ranked performer in the 400H (59.02).
Here are the rest of the top-10 teams in Week 1: No. 6 Milligan (Tenn.), No. 7 Southern Oregon, No. 8 Mobile (Ala.), No. 9 Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) and No. 10 Indiana Wesleyan.